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Carolina Kleinman is entrenched in Latin American heritage having been born in Argentina, lived in Bolivia, and Peru, and Tepoztlán. She now resides in Miami with family. In 2005 she established her namesake brand and in her words, “design for women who dance.” Carolina strives for less waste and even introduced a Zero Waste collection, where they used every last scrap piece of fabric in the designs. Those designs are built to preserve the history and culture of the cooperatives and artisans she works with. We chatted a bit about her design philosophy, less waste motto and had her answer to the question, “who is the Carolina k woman?” The images are of Carolina and her friend, shot in Tepoztlán, Mexico, wearing her latest resort collection.

How would you describe your style in three words?

The triple E. Ethnic, Eclectic and Ethical

How does music influence your designs?

Music is a part of my life and who I am. I use music to reach the right mood in order to design and create. When I sing and play music, I find myself in total freedom, free of judgement. And when I listen to any type of music, I feel in total alignment with the universe as it allows me to immerse myself into a world of fantasy and creativity. 

How are you focusing on sustainability within your manufacturing? 

Working with and supporting artisans all over Latin America is something I have been doing since the launch of my brand in 2005. From day 1, I envisioned a collective, collaborating while preserving techniques artisans have used over generations. There is a story behind everything; handmade pieces crafted without the use of electricity, chemicals or pesticides. For styles that are made by machine, we use all organic or recyclable fabrics, and we made a pledge to reuse all fabric scraps with our zero-waste initiative. It’s very important for us to prioritize the human side of our relationships with our teams abroad. We can vet that fair wages and ethical practices are instilled in all of our partners’ company cultures. For example, prior to the pandemic I would visit our artisans in India a couple times a year and know everyone personally that we work with in our factories. We definitely miss seeing everyone this year and are grateful to our community for allowing us to continue providing revenue streams for our artisans near and far.

Who is the type of women you’re designing for when designing Carolina K? 
 
I design for all ages.
Women who empower other women. Women who inspire women by example. 
Women who love artisanal handcrafted pieces. 
Women who care about the environment.
Women who love to express who they are and what they stand for through their clothes. 
Women who love to dance.