Carolina Kleinmann It has been building a brand that is, in equal parts, an aesthetic manifesto, a collaborative project and a way of life. He grew between fabrics and seams, in the store that his mother had in Buenos Aires in the 80s, and it was there, playing between cutting tables and dressmakers, where he began to design his own dresses and skirts. Her restless spirit led her to study acting and music in Los Angeles, but soon found that her true passion was better spared among handmade tissues than in scores: for 20 years, Carolina K mixes colors, cultures and textures in garments that celebrate the ancestral and the contemporary.
The project was born almost as an act of intuition. With his first collection, a Mexican blanket and a suitcase full of clothes, Kleinmann arrived in New York and sold everything in two days. Since then, he wove the identity of his brand traveling to the North Argentina, Bolivia and Peru; living in Cuzco and in villages close to Mexico City; Mounting artisans cooperatives and drawing lasting links with communities that today manage to preserve techniques that were in extinction. In 2014 he opened his first physical store in Williamsburg and then disembarked in Miami as part of the Faena Universe, for whom he designed to the hotel uniforms. Today, with a new premises at the Design District and a line that includes homewear, prints and collaborations with international artists, entering its premises is to feel a bit in Argentina: the flag sun looks with a mural on the roof and it is possible to find even old carpets from Santiago del Estero.
News: Work with artisans, how does fair trade manage?
Carolina Kleinmann: It is an issue that matters a lot. When I started working with artisans, I lived in those same places. I lived in Cuzco with my whole family, I went to prisons to buy textiles. So working with artisans was a way of life. He helped them organize, sometimes he began by buying them something they already had, and with the second round they sent them the threads and we were going for a little more elaborate designs. It is a bit played, because sometimes there are orders to complete and may not arrive. Artisanal work is super delicate, it takes a lot. You have to meet the artisans, create a link, trust. And they have to know that you are there to help them. In each Carolina K card he says who made the garment and how long it took. And the pieces are faces, because they start at US $ 100 of cost. Today, that there is a lot of cultural appropriation, people usually think that one is taking advantage. But for me this brand was formed to give credit and support to artisans. There are communities with which I work more than 15 years ago.
News: Is this valued to make unique products in a world with such series, especially in the United States?
Kleinmann: I feel it is valued. Although I also feel that in the pandemic everyone began to say that they were sustainable, when they didn’t care. But when you do things in a good way and with good intention, that over time is valued. And when you have that tenacity to continue forging your path indistinctly what happens around, you feel that authenticity and that valuation. I am in an area where there are many global things, and many times people enter and say: “Oh, at last something different.” We always tell you the story behind each product, people are already fascinated.
News: At the same time, she is being an ambassador of Latin.
Kleinmann: I think I was one of the first people to gather all these brands and support others. For me it is not competition, it is to help each other and give visibility to people who had a lower diffusion. As well as visibility to artisans, it also gave it to other Latin American designers. For me that is fundamental. When I started, there were not so many social networks, mine was a way of life. He did not do it to share a story or to see him people. Within that mission I also have to return, so I donate 5% of all online sales to different organizations. That is also what makes me want to continue in this industry that never stops. I always knew that I wanted to work for a cause greater than individual profitability.
News: How many pieces do you do?
Kleinmann: I can have between 50 and 60 products, not everyone ends up being produced, and many are of limited quantity. I have a large production but that is still a girl for retail, it is a small scale. I have no investors or partners, I like to keep something more cured and boutique. That people feel special, that there is little of that in the world. And now I am doing a secret collaboration with an international top model.
News: How do you see the style of the Argentines? Do we encourage ourselves more or do we remain very minimalist and very beige, black and white?
Kleinmann: I think they are getting more cancheras. In Argentina there was always sense of style, the issue is to look for its own and not always looking outside. It is inevitable to look at the world, but it would be good to look more inside one. See what resonates and be authentic, because it is the only way to last.
News: Do you care about fashion or do not give a ball not to influence?
Kleinmann: I think we are all influenced because we all look at social networks and see what happens. But when something is very saturated, I go against. And I never look at the fashionable colors or what is coming. In fact, sometimes I feel that I do things when people still don’t understand them, and then become more viral. I made the boots with everything ethnic or wallets with textiles, and today the most global brands do it.
News: Is it your first client?
Kleinmann: Yes. But I try to be inclusive and I am very attentive to the woman’s body. I love going down the street and seeing a woman dressed in Carolina K. It seems that she is expensive, but when it turns out that it is a piece that will last a lifetime, that the fabric is organic, which is handmade, you realize the value. I try for people to understand that instead of that immediate satisfaction of going to a brand of Fast Fashion and buying three or four things, which sometimes do not even take the label and lasts little, you can buy a good thing and will last them for years.
News: How is the Carolina K woman?
Kleinmann: He likes culture, travel, colors, he likes to stand out. He puts on my clothes and empowered. Sometimes I have garments that are used in different ways, so that one is fun. There is always creativity within the way of dressing. Although the pieces have intricated work, I do it in a way that you can keep using them and do not get tired.
News: In an era where in the United States there is so much attack on immigrants, do you feel that your work of gathering them claims?
Kleinmann: I hadn’t thought about it, but I think it’s good. Today I am supporting many Latin American people, but also work with artisans from Portugal, Morocco, India. The sky is the limit. I want to continue traveling around the world and supporting different cooperatives.
News: His is the history of Argentina that triumphs outside, would he like to be a prophet in his own country?
Kleinmann: I would love to sell in Argentina. I have many people who ask me. What happens is that for a long time it was impossible to send things and it was even difficult to sell online. If that is solved, it would be a great goal. I still have a lot of Argentina, I recently went to Salta and made the path of artisans. My idea is to be able to return to the country and work even more with the country, producing beyond.
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