From my observations, Saudi women are a lot like Latin Americans; they love makeup and colors,” said the Venezuelan fashion designer, Carolina Herrera, after her visit to Jeddah to support breast cancer awareness with Zahra Breast Cancer Association.
Herrera and her daughter Carolina Adriana held a press conference in Jeddah last October to announce that a charity dinner event would be held at the Park Hyatt Jeddah under the patronage of Princess Haifa Bint Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz, chairman of Zahra Breast Cancer Association. Guests were invited to contribute to the cause and entered into a draw to win an item from the Carolina Herrera New York boutique.
“We are extremely pleased to be widening our appeal to raise money for breast cancer awareness. We are now raising funds across Latin America, the US, Spain and the Middle East. Our efforts will hopefully enable us to support breast cancer patients and their families around the world,” she said at the press conference.
Carolina Herrera's eponymous fashion label has been in demand ever since her first line was released in 1981. She has designed everything from casual to evening, formal dresses and bridal gowns and has found success in every approach thanks to her elegance, style and simplicity that knows no boundaries.
During her visit, she met with a number of Saudi women at a gala dinner where she said abayas and kaftans have been around for a while and many international designers and brands were inspired by them.
“I believe Saudi women are very elegant. Their abayas are very beautiful and they have flawless skin, beautiful eyes and incredible hair. I saw Princess Haifa Al-Faisal and her sister Princess Ola and they were stunning and they looked very elegant and chic,” she said. “In every summer collection, you get to see beautiful, colorful kaftans that women wear at the beach, from Yves Saint Laurent and other designers, and I believe it’s an easy wear and elegant. This would definitely be an inspirational source especially after my visit to Jeddah and Dubai,” she added.
According to Herrera, fashion is a mystery that has to be fun, elegant and a part of your everyday life. Growing up, the designer wasn't dressing dolls or playing with fabrics. Instead, she used to ride her horse every day, take care of her dogs and play tennis — activities that had very little to do with fashion. However, at the age of 16, fashion became her passion.
“Fashion is made for the eyes and not for the intellect; fashion changes with time and you always have to be updated and educated with what’s in and what’s out. The only thing I know is that I love fashion,” said Herrera.
Herrera does not follow international trends out of fear that her designs will end up looking like uniforms. She likes to come up with her style and says it's important in fashion to be original, unique and different.
"I have my own view and my aim in fashion is that I want to see women look elegant, sophisticated and feminine,” she said.
Herrera’s biggest fear when designing is that she has to come up with a new concept for every collection. “The biggest question in the fashion world is ‘What’s new?’ and you always have the right answer that satisfies me and everyone around you,” she said. “I’m blessed with a team that has my eyes, so whenever I run out of ideas, they help me. It’s like a collaboration and we all help each other.”
When asked who she would choose to play her role in a movie, Hererra said she would choose French actress Catherine Deneuve. “I have always admired Catherine Deneuve and I think she is a fantastic actress. She is beautiful, elegant and sharp and this is why I see her playing me in a movie."
Hererra has dressed everyone from Renee Zellweger, Blake Lively to Christina Hendricks and Oprah Winfrey. But in her three-decade career, Herrera’s most devoted client was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who wore her designs in the last 12 years of her life.
“All my clients are women who look for elegant, simple yet chic clothing. I would so much love to dress the Qatari prince’s wife, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned. I admire her and I love the way she looks. I believe that she is very elegant and a fashion icon. She is very beautiful and sophisticated and this is what attracted me to her style,” she said.
There are six Carolina Herrera flagship boutiques in the world. They are in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Bal Harbor, Las Vegas and Caracas. Herrera also established a diffusion line under the name CH that is currently sold all over the world.
“I opened CH Carolina Herrera, my lifestyle line, to introduce people to my designs. I want them to know my name and my designs before I open another flagship. I’m studying the Middle East market to see their approach to my clothing stores in CH and once I’m sure that the people are familiar with the brand, I will open a Carolina Herrera for evening dresses and bridal boutique,” she said.
Herrera has been involved in many social responsibility and volunteering projects around the world, including God's Love We Deliver, a charity that provides around 4,000 meals a day to people who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves. Starting next year, Herrera will develop a perfume for charity.
“Carolina, my daughter, is in charge of designing and creating a new perfume for 2012 and all the income from this specific perfume will be donated to support charity organizations. The perfume is going to be called Carolina Herrera l'eau which means water and it will be sold all over the world,” she said.
Carolina Herrera just opened her new store in Abu Dhabi and released a limited edition elegant golden handbag for Abu Dhabi shoppers to celebrate the opening. The handbag has the word “Abu Dhabi” printed on it and a small palm tree decorated with Swarovski crystals as a symbol of the UAE.
