November brought with it the second edition of the Latin American Fashion Summit (LAFS), a platform created by Latin American entrepreneurs Samantha Tams and Estefanía Lacayo. LAFS was born from the idea of creating a space to empower the Latin American fashion industry through reflection and discussion of issues related to the world of fashion.

The event featured a renowned group of panelists, mentors and judges, including designers Carolina Herrera, Johanna Ortiz, Silvia Tcherassi, Esteban Cortázar, among others. We had the opportunity to sit down for an in-depth interview with fashion designer Carolina Kleinman, founder of Carolina K. After traveling across Latin America, India and other destinations, Argentinian-born Kleinman created her namesake brand, focusing on the rich textiles of Latin America and presenting a sophisticated, artisanal alternative for the gypsy-spirited traveler.

Working under a fair trade model, the designer collaborates with artisans in Mexico and throughout Latin America in an effort to keep ancient traditions alive and give back to local indigenous communities. Keep reading for our interview with this unique member of the fashion community and a proponent of artisanal traditions. carolinak.com

Your brand, Carolina K, was one of the first major fashion brands to pioneer working with artisanal communities in Latin America. What inspired you to work with these communities and did you find it challenging at first?

I come from a family of textile workers, and my grandfather commercialized pasamanería, or all sorts of fringes and trims from Buenos Aires to La Paz, Bolivia. So in my house, I was always surrounded by textiles and ancestral jewelry— Inca jewelry. Also, my mom and aunt had a clothing store, so I also grew up playing around fabrics. I studied fashion design, because I thought I wanted to be a fashion designer—but then I moved to Los Angeles and I studied acting and music too, which are my other passions. But fashion design was in my blood, and I knew from experience that if I was going to go into fashion, I didn’t want to do it in a way that was for my own benefit, or just in a very mechanical way. So I traveled to the north of Argentina, to Tilcara, this beautiful town in the mountains, and there, at the market, I saw a group of weavers called Las Hijas de la Luna. That was my first encounter with artisans.  

From there, I fell in love with my husband, and we decided to travel to La Paz, Bolivia to visit my grandfather’s house, and get to know my origins. There, we encountered another group of artisans and I created my first collection. It was very forward-thinking for the moment, with stockings all the way up to your hips and all these colorful ponchos—it was an amazing experience.

After that, I ended up moving to Mexico, to a small town called Tepoztlán, about an hour away from Mexico City, in the mountains. There, we ended up having kids and raising them there. I started traveling a lot to Peru, and different states in Mexico, like Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla, and that’s when I started forming a network of artisanal communities. My collections during this time were inspired by where I was living in that moment, so it was very natural, very organic.

To begin working with these artisans, I approached them in markets, or during traditional celebrations. There’s one group that are located two hours away from Oaxaca, Mexico, and I have been supporting this group for the past seven years, I give them work all year-round. At the beginning they didn’t trust me that much, or they were scared that I was going to give them work and then disappear. It takes a lot of time, a lot of mutual trust, and a lot of effort to organize them so that they understand the importance of timing and delivery. And it’s important to remain connected. You can’t just go on a trip for two-three days, gather some information and think you are going to make a collection.

Today in the forum you spoke about Cultural Celebration vs. Cultural Appropriation. How would you say the Carolina K brand is a celebration of culture?

When you go to these communities, when you encounter these artisans and you get to know them, and you find out where their crafts come from– that they have a whole history behind them, with ancestral information— it’s very important, first of all, to help them to preserve their heritage, because a lot of these techniques are disappearing; and second, to respect what they do, and know how long it takes to make it. So for me, it became very clear that if I found an embroidery or technique that I liked in Chiapas, I was going to try to put together a group of artisans in Chiapas to try to preserve that technique.

My talk this morning was about cultural appropriation: why are designers—or people in general, finding an idea somewhere and just taking it and producing it somewhere else? Or printing an embroidery that takes hours and hours of work to make? I think that’s an issue that brands need to be more conscious of. If you have a brand, it’s very important to tell the story of your brand and how the pieces are made, because eventually those pieces are the ones that are going to last. And right now there’s a lot of craziness about artisanship and sustainability in fashion, but in the long term, the brands that are going to last are the ones that have a real mission, and that are aware of the environment and respectful of other cultures.

What do you think has been the key to the success of Carolina K thus far?

The authenticity of it. I think that people see how authentic it is, and that when you wear the pieces, they almost come to life, they have something special. That’s how I feel, and that’s my mission— is that each piece feels like it’s made with love and care, that it will last and you will be able to pass it on to the next generation.

So essentially, the key to the success has been hard work, making a lot of mistakes, persistence, and trusting the process. Also, maintaining that authenticity, and supporting the same group of people every season. For every collection I start producing, I make sure the same artisans have work. For every collection that is made, I am aware of all the people that are involved in the process.

What advice would you give to new, emerging designers that want to stand out in this industry?

My advice is: don’t get confused by shiny objects— meaning, don’t get trapped in this idea that you need to sell to a certain store. Stores will open, others will close, and if you want to last in this industry, you need to make your own way. For me it’s important that brands have their own voice, where they can express themselves, be it through e-commerce or pop-ups, and where they can create their own rules, and not live in a state of desperation where anyone that buys from you owns you. It’s important to be able to say no and play by your own rules.

And the most important thing is not to look at what other brands are doing. Develop your brand in a way that makes sense for you. Tell your own story. Be authentic and original, so people can relate to your product and feel like it’s something special.

Why do you think an event like LAFS was so necessary in Latin America?

I think these events present an opportunity to talk to people, to the people sitting next to you, and exchange information. All of us need to be able to connect, because right now everybody’s looking at Instagram, everybody’s looking on everyone’s web site, and it’s hard to actually get to know people, I mean real people. On Instagram nothing is like real life. So these types of events bring people together. The panels are interesting, and we are all learning about the same topics, so it’s important to have a platform like this, and I’m very happy to be here.

What comes to mind when you think of Latin American fashion? Who are your favorite designers from Latin America?

My favorite Latin American fashion designer— besides me? (laughs) —I have many favorites. I curate a boutique, the Faena boutique, I have my studio, and I also have another retail space, so basically I like anything that is different, made by hand, or by artisans.

I think what is happening in Latin America is super interesting, and I would like for designers to look at themselves and try to find their identity. Because one thing I’m seeing is that a lot of people are kind of looking around, and there’s a lot of brands that are similar to other brands. That’s a phenomenon that I see taking place right now, and it is a little tiring to the eye, everybody trying to do the same thing. So it’s very important that brands maintain their uniqueness.

What’s next for Carolina K?

Currently, I’m in the process of resetting the whole model, and I feel like the whole fashion industry should be doing the same, and that we as designers have to reset: do less, but make things last longer. So I’m becoming independent: I now have a studio in Miami, so I can have my own team doing sales, and I really want to start telling the story of the brand to the buyers. I don’t want to just sell to every boutique, that doesn’t interest me anymore. What interests me is finding people that appreciate the products, that know how to sell them, and that don’t want to put them on sale two months later, to see what the next “thing” is. That’s my mission now, and I’m starting to make the collections smaller.

So what’s next: I’m becoming independent, I’m going to take over in-house sales, open up my studio as a store, and I’ll be traveling and doing pop-ups around the world, with the goal of getting directly to consumers.

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