Carolina Herrera is a Venezuelan-American fashion designer born on January 8th 1939. She is best known for founding her eponymous company Carolina Herrera Ltd in 1981 and serving as its creative director until 2018. Her first clothing collection was presented in 1980 and received critical acclaim. In 1981 she opened her flagship store in Manhattan, New York. Her style is characterized by elegance, color and handcraftsmanship - qualities also seen throughout her fragrance collections, launched since 1988 under license with Puig SA. Notable contributions to fashion industry include reviving the Haute couture shows in NYC during 2001 as honorary president of CFDA and receiving numerous awards in recognition to her work (CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year, Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award...).
The Carolina Herrera brand offers luxury fashion items for men and women, including ready-to-wear, accessories and footwear. Some iconic pieces are two-button notch lapel suits, signature dresses, silk shirts, leather goods & shoes .Her designs often feature intricate details such as embroideries and eye-catching colors/patterns. The fragrances collection includes "Very Caroline" , "Good girl" , "Herrera Violeta" amongst others . Herrera has dressed many celebrities and political figures such as Michelle Obama for Barack Obama's second inauguration, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Meghan Markle Duchess of Sussex before her marriage to Prince Harry III etc.. Herrera stepped down as Creative Director of the house in 2018 but remained on board as Global Brand Ambassador after hand picking Wes Gordon as her successor. Herrera passed away at age 88 on February 16th 2020. As news spread the White House, Buckingham Palace + countless stars paid tribute to the late fashion legend for her talent and kindness.
