Being online is really important now.

Art has long been the passion of Talenia Phua Gajardo, but the former architect quickly realised she had to market her product differently to a generation more likely to turn to their phones than the auction house. In response, she founded Artling, an online art gallery that would tap the potential of an art market that was growing “at about 19 per cent a year online”. Now three years old, the site offers contemporary Asian art from over 120 galleries and 800 artists from 22 countries.

Upon graduation, Gajardo worked for a few years with the late starchitect Zaha Hadid, before founding her own interior architecture and design practice. Her latest endeavor is Luxglove, an online marketplace for pre-owned and vintage items including art, watches and rare whisky.

We’re all mobile and everyone’s on their phone. Your brand will lose out if it doesn’t have a website or an app, if it’s not discoverable. People are now more open to buying expensive items online, but they need to trust the brand.