María Carolina Josefina Pacanis Niño, better known as Carolina Herrera, was born in Caracas, Venezuela on January 8, 1939. At a very young age, she found her passion for fashion, and in 1981 she presented her first fashion collection which was received with great enthusiasm by the press and the female public. She then decided to move with her family to New York and founded Carolina Herrera, Ltd. The firm quickly became a benchmark of luxury and exclusivity, and Carolina Herrera has since led a rapidly growing empire.
In her collections, she has always remained faithful to her spirit: special attention to detail in garments aimed at sophisticated women from all over the world and collections in which dresses and suits inspired by her background and lifestyle played a leading role.
The success of her first fragrances marked the beginning of Carolina Herrera’s international recognition. These achievements prompted Puig, a Spanish multinational company operating in the fashion and fragrance sectors, to incorporate the entire Carolina Herrera business into its group in 1995. In 2001, CH Carolina Herrera was born, a lifestyle line that is present in 89 company-owned stores and more than 200 corners in more than 104 countries around the world.
In 1991 she was awarded by the American Association of Hispanic Designers with the prize for a decade of artistic creation. Six years later, the Infanta Doña Pilar presented her with the Spanish Institute of New York gold medal. In 2008 she won the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) award for her successful professional career. In 2012 she was named Doctor Honoris Causa by the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Herrera was included among the 100 most influential Latinos of 2007 by People magazine.
In 2015 she served as godmother at the IV edition of the Who’s On Next awards, Vogue Spain’s recognition of young talent sponsored by Inditex, and received the Who’s On Next Fashion Icon award. After more than 37 years at the helm of the brand, in 2018, Herrera announced that he was stepping down as creative director of the label she founded. Wes Gordon took over the baton from the Venezuelan designer.
Carolina Herrera has broken boundaries with her work in fashion and perfumery. She is a matter of pride for our community, paving the way for other Latino women and men who want to be part of the global fashion industry.
Sources:
Recent Comments