The timeless and always relevant style of the inimitable Carolina Herrera.
On April 27, 1981, Carolina Herrera debuted her first runway show in New York at the Metropolitan House. Decades later, her business remains at the forefront of American designer fashion. Born and raised in Venezuela, Carolina Herrera was exposed from early on to international culture and fashion, with her first experience at 13, when she attended a Cristóbal Balenciaga couture show with her grandmother. As she elegantly puts it, ‘My eye was accustomed to see beautiful things’.
Since launching her namesake brand in 1981, Carolina Herrera has dressed first ladies, from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama, celebrities and international royalties, a testament to her unwavering devotion to all things ladylike. Carolina is favoured for her designs that scream timelessness and modern elegance, and has contributed greatly in shaping the fashion world, remaining as one of the most influential designers today. To celebrate 35 years in fashion, there has been the publication of her first book, which includes archival photographs from previous decades as well as images of some of the designer’s most iconic pieces. Of course, the Carolina Herrera brand solely about fashion, with many of the greatest achievements being punctuated with fragrance releases. So, to mark this milestone, Carolina collaborated with Master Perfumer, Carlos Benaim to come up with an interpreted version of the original Carolina Herrera New York fragrance that was launched in 1988, a limited edition perfume to commemorate the designer’s trajectory in the fashion world.
Here we look at the story of Carolina Herrera through the decades, how the name has grown into an all-encompassing brand, and Carolina’s own personal achievements and awards.