At her new boutique in Little River, designer Carolina Kleinman showcases her love for ancient traditions as she champions a commitment to sustainability.
Designer Carolina Kleinman at her new lifestyle store, Carolina K PHOTO BY TATO GOMEZ/COURTESY OF CAROLINA K
With a deep respect for authentic design, a trait passed down through her European grandparents and Argentinian mother, Carolina Kleinman’s commitment to creating collections with painstaking embroidery details and distinctive prints highlights her passion to preserve and protect cultural traditions while also reducing environmental impact. Her namesake brand and new flagship boutique, Carolina K, encompasses this ethical ethos, while everything she creates evokes a sense of ingenuity and cultural fluidity.
It’s only natural that, after successful and continuous collaborations with Faena Bazaar, Intermix and Saks Fifth Avenue, Kleinman would seek a space and sphere that’s all her own.
“Opening my very first boutique in Miami has been a very special project that I hold close to my heart,” says Kleinman. “My goal is for the store to be an extension of my home with one-of-a-kind furniture, handmade ottomans and unique objects that I’ve collected through my many travels all over the world.”
Over the last 15 years, Kleinman has worked closely with artisans in remote regions of Mexico, Peru and India to preserve traditions such as handcrocheting and looming techniques that require no electricity or harmful chemicals. Additionally, throughout her ready-to-wear, swim, jewelry, footwear and home collections, the designer has implemented a zero-waste initiative, pledging that all leftover fabrics are repurposed.
Kleinman chose the up-and-coming Little River neighborhood for her shop’s location and tapped her good friend Anastasia Koutsioukis, owner of Mrs. Mandolin in Buena Vista, to help her design the 2,500-square-foot store. The end result is a space where Kleinman’s Latin American background and lust for travel are reflected everywhere. Exposed walls and raw concrete floors serve as backdrop to Carolina K’s various garments, as well as to wallpapers, custom furniture, ceramics, handloomed blankets and rugs, hanging sculptural handknit fisherman lamps by Elpelut and eye-catching images from the Sacred Valley series by photographer Ivan Belaustegui.
“I want visitors to really experience our Latin American heritage and reflect on inspiration from music, dance, art and travel,” says Kleinman. “And I look forward to having people spend some quality time in our universe.” 7924 NE Second Ave., Miami, 347.525.1809, carolinak.com
Photography by:
