Fashion Definitions — fashion history, brands and industry terms from Apparel Search
Carolina Herrera was born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1939 and founded her eponymous company in 1980. Based in New York since 1981, she dressed Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for the last twelve years of her life and was elected to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1980.
Carolina Herrera (Carolina Pacanins Niño de Herrera Guevara). Born in Caracas,
Venezuela in 1939, she is a
fashion designer
and entrepreneur who founded her eponymous
company in 1980 with great success. Based
in New York since 1981, Herrera managed
to qualify, throughout the 1970s and 1980s
as one of the best dressed women in the
world. Her empire grew so rapidly and steadily
since its creation that she went on to dress
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for the last
twelve years of her life. She is married
to Venezuelan socialite Reinaldo Herrera
Guevara, son of fashion icon Mara Teresa (Mim) Guevara Pietrantoni de Herrera Uslar,
by whom she had two daughters. She was previously
married to Guillermo Behrens Tello, bearing
him two daughters as well.
From 1965 to 1968, she worked for friend Emilio Pucci, a Florentine Marquess
himself, in his Caracas boutique. After marrying Reinaldo, she assumed a
jet-set lifestyle, regularly purchasing the latest styles from Yves Saint
Laurent, Ungaro, Valentino, Walter Albini, Mila Schon, Zandra Rhodes and
Armani. Frequently associating with the likes of Mick and Bianca Jagger and
Andy Warhol, at Studio 54 and worldwide hot-spots, she became well-known for
her impeccable and dramatic style. She first appeared on the International
Best Dressed List in 1972, then was elected to its Hall of Fame in 1980.
That year, her friend Diana Vreeland, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue suggested
that Carolina design a clothing line. She did so, having samples made in
Caracas, and showed them in a friend's apartment in New York. A well known
Park Avenue boutique, Martha's, agreed to showcase her clothing in their
prominent windows. Upon this initial success, she returned to Caracas and
raised capital to fund a more formal launch. Her first runway show in 1980
included future supermodel Iman.
The company has been based in New York City since 1980, and in 1981 the
brand received recognition from several key publications, including Women's
Wear Daily and Tatler, with particular early attention to her well designed
sleeves. A few of her most notable clients have included Jacqueline Kennedy
Onassis, who asked her to design the dress for her daughter Caroline's
wedding, Duchess Diana de Melo, and actress Renée Zellweger. In the late
1980s, Spanish fragrance company Puig licensed the Carolina Herrera name to
develop and market a line of perfumes. In 1995, the firm acquired the
Carolina Herrara fashion business, retaining her as Creative Director. In
2008, they launched a ready-to-wear brand called CH Carolina Herrera; as of
2012, there are 18 Carolina Herrera and CH Carolina Herrera boutiques in the
world, and her lines are carried in 280 stores in 104 countries. As of
2011, her daughters Carolina Jr. and Patricia Lansing participate in the
creative direction and design.
The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Herrera Modified by Apparel Search 2/7/06 and 7/14/13
Designer Definition (from U.S Department of Labor)
Clothing & Fashion Industry Definitions
Carolina Herrera's route to a fashion house ran through her own wardrobe. Born in Caracas in 1939, she worked from 1965 to 1968 for her friend Emilio Pucci in his Caracas boutique, married Venezuelan socialite Reinaldo Herrera Guevara, and regularly bought the latest styles from Yves Saint Laurent, Ungaro, Valentino, Walter Albini, Mila Schon, Zandra Rhodes and Armani. Associating with Mick and Bianca Jagger and Andy Warhol at Studio 54 and worldwide, she became known for her impeccable and dramatic style, first appeared on the International Best Dressed List in 1972 and was elected to its Hall of Fame in 1980. That year her friend Diana Vreeland, editor-in-chief of Vogue, suggested she design a clothing line. Few designer definitions begin with the designer as the customer; Herrera's authority to design came from a decade of being dressed, judged and listed among the best dressed women in the world.
The launch was improvised and then formalised quickly. Samples were made in Caracas and shown in a friend's apartment in New York; the Park Avenue boutique Martha's agreed to showcase the clothing in its prominent windows; on that success Herrera returned to Caracas, raised capital, and launched formally, with a first runway show in 1980 that included future supermodel Iman. The company has been based in New York City since 1980, and in 1981 the brand received recognition from Women's Wear Daily and Tatler, with particular early attention to her well-designed sleeves. Her most notable client relationship was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, whom she dressed for the last twelve years of her life and whose daughter Caroline's wedding dress she designed; other clients named include Duchess Diana de Melo and Renée Zellweger.
In the late 1980s the Spanish fragrance company Puig licensed the Carolina Herrera name to develop and market perfumes; in 1995 Puig acquired the fashion business, retaining Herrera as Creative Director. In 2008 they launched a ready-to-wear brand called CH Carolina Herrera, and as of 2012 there were 18 Carolina Herrera and CH Carolina Herrera boutiques, with lines carried in 280 stores in 104 countries. As of 2011 her daughters Carolina Jr. and Patricia Lansing participated in the creative direction and design. The structure — founder as creative director inside a fragrance-company owner, a second ready-to-wear line beneath the main label, daughters inside the design team — is the mature form of a house that began with samples sewn in Caracas and shown in a borrowed apartment.
Herrera founded her company in 1980, showing samples made in Caracas in a friend's New York apartment; a Park Avenue boutique, Martha's, agreed to showcase her clothing, and her first runway show in 1980 included future supermodel Iman. The company has been based in New York City since 1980.
Herrera dressed Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for the last twelve years of her life and designed the dress for Caroline Kennedy's wedding. Other notable clients include Duchess Diana de Melo and actress Renée Zellweger.
In the late 1980s Spanish fragrance company Puig licensed the Carolina Herrera name for perfumes; in 1995 Puig acquired the fashion business, retaining Herrera as Creative Director. In 2008 they launched the ready-to-wear brand CH Carolina Herrera.