About Karolína

HI :)

I'm happy that you're here and that you're curious about the life and the values of a person you support with a potential purchase on this website. I suggest you get comfortable because it's about to get very personal and deep. In case you don't like that kind of stuff I guess this is not the right place for you. If you do though, I hope you will enjoy reading :) .

I LOVE MAKING THINGS

My first contact with making clothes was through my grandma. She used to sew a lot and made me dresses for costume parties, knitted my socks for winter and, among other things, she taught me how to crochet. Spending time at her place, crafting one of our projects with my cousin is one of my happiest (or may I say most peaceful) childhood memories.

When I was getting a bit older and becoming a teenager I really felt a big need for self-expression with my clothes. I was exploring what it means to be a woman and part of that was the need to wear feminine clothes. My biggest inspiration was MTV at that time. Since the women I saw on the screen were so confident, attractive and powerful, I felt like this must be the best state of existence you can reach.

My mom had a different vision for me. I am not entirely sure what that vision was but in contrast to me, a colorful girl that needed a lot of attention, she was and still is an elegant minimalist. Don't get me wrong: I love my mom's fashion sense. What I value the most about it is her ability to prioritize high-quality materials and I proudly wear today many of the clothes she bought for herself when she was young.

THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE

My priorities were different though and I think the main drive that has put me in the direction of fashion was the desire to express myself with clothes I either didn't find or simply couldn't buy because I wasn't allowed to. So I started making them myself. I wanted to be sexy and powerful, while my parents wanted me to be an obedient little girl and protect me from all the possible harm in the world. I am very grateful for that but the need for authenticity and self-expression will haunt a person forever no matter how hard they try to obey and suppress themselves.

This might be very controversial to say but I remember that since a very young age I was very curious about sex. It did lead me to a couple of situations that nowadays I am able to recognise as abuse and I don't blame my clothes or my looks for any of it. I wish I was able to talk about my curiosity more openly back then and not be shamed about it.

THE IMAGINARY WORLD

I think this experience made me constantly dream about a world where the combination of being sort of innocent, sexy (as in openly expressing your sexuality) and vulnerable while still being safe at the same time wasn't a ridiculous thought. I believe that is why many of my designs have the intertwined elements of softness, innocence and cuteness but also feel feminine and sexy.

The reality though is that the world is not entirely safe and I want to thank my parents enormously for protecting me as much as they did. If you want to protect your child from being molested or basically manipulated in any way, I would say that the most important thing is to teach them how to recognise their feelings and respect them because in many situations you might not be able to recognise things that will turn out to be eventually harmful to you.

I have been in therapy for some time now so it's easier for me to talk about things openly. However, for a long part of my life, I was incredibly confused about why I feel the way I feel. Expressing myself with fashion was most likely my subconscious talking to me and trying to give me the space to accept who I am.

PLEASING OTHERS / BETRAYING ONESELF

I remember that one of my friends asked me if I ask people what they want and adjust my designs accordingly. I said that if I wanted to center my work around pleasing others, I would rather get employed again...What I meant is that I would rather do that in a regular job...

Don't get me wrong, I think it makes sense to a certain extent, but like in everything, there has to be a limit. I love making people happy, I love pleasing other people and getting validation for my existence in this world, monetarily and emotionally. However, there is just too little of a reward for me to pursue fashion solely to satisfy the needs of other people and not myself.

I like to create products that I personally love and would use, making sure they're not just unique but also functional by testing them myself. While I don't actively seek out specific requests to start my designs, I do keep an eye on popular media and naturally pick up on emerging trends that reflect broader societal changes. This insight influences my work, helping me stay relevant yet original. When there's a need for something specific or a direct request from someone, I'm more than willing to tailor my designs to fit those needs. My goal is to offer products that stand out and remain practical, not just to follow what sells best.

I don't treat fashion as a business, I don't treat it as a money-making tool (although money is important and we all need it) but I treat it as a language that most people speak at least on some sort of a subconscious level.

IS FASHION DEEP ENOUGH?

I know that to many people fashion feels extremely superficial and they don't feel like it's worthy of their time to think about. Like everything in life, fashion also has levels and you can dive deep into it or you can just stay on the surface. No matter how hard you try not to, you do communicate with the things you wear and the reason why you like one thing and don't like the other is more than just your skin undertone or body shape. Fashion connects but also separates people, fashion provides support and protection, fashion might help you find the right job or partner and so on and so on... you can probably imagine.

In high school, I was already running some fashion projects and organizing fashion shows. I remember thinking about what I wanted to study in university. I kind of liked physics and math, I've been thinking of taking some route that would be more respectable and seem more useful to the world but then I thought: "hey, let me take the easy route, after all I can only become really good at something I truly enjoy". I believe I don't have to tell you that it was a very naive thought. Not only was the fashion industry much more complex and competitive than I thought but also very problematic.

THE FALL OF A DREAM / THE RISE OF A PURPOSE

Once I found out later on at the university about the ecological issues the fashion industry causes and the abuse of human rights involved in this sector, I felt a sort of newfound meaning and purpose on one hand but also a hopeless desperation as it seemed to be really too late for us to be able to change anything. Suddenly, I was not sure if I wanted to be part of it anymore.

I managed to graduate and get a bachelor's degree in fashion design but honestly, I felt already so disappointed that it was very hard and my mental health was sinking very low at that point. I didn't want to support unethical practices but also focusing on the ethical side of fashion was kind of new and expensive and I guess that many people felt like I was emotionally blackmailing them into buying my clothes.

It's basically impossible to create new clothes and be sustainable at the same time. I felt like no matter how beautiful a garment and sophisticated a design you created, at the end of the day it would still end up as trash… some trash might be just a bit prettier than others.

That was when I decided to study textile. It was a great idea and I wish I had been more determined and a bit stronger in pursuing that goal but after one semester I decided that I didn't want to study anymore. Honestly, It was just too hard, and going from an art school to a technical school was too much to catch up with. My mental health was not getting better and in desperate need of feeling better, I was trying to find the core of my feelings and blaming other people around me. My teachers, my job, my boyfriend at that time, everything that seemed to make my life challenging had to go and so I left the school, broke up with my boyfriend, and moved out of Prague and back in with my parents.

NEW JOB, NEW LESSONS

In order to reclaim my freedom and independence, my main priority was to find a job and move out of my parents' place as soon as possible. That's when I found a job offer with a relocation package to Warsaw in H&M. I was hired as a customer service representative for Czech Republic & Slovakia. I felt like it was the best thing I could do at that time. I would have been technically still able to learn something about fashion business and move out. As always though, it wasn't as great as it seemed.

I would describe working in a call center as letting people complain or even scream at you for things you haven't done for 8 hours a day. This helped me not only get a massive respect for people working in such positions but also realise how much of a difference it can make when you are treating someone nicely.

The most valuable lesson I learned there was definitely finally understanding that there is enormously much more to a brand and a fashion business than just a good product.

Luckily they fired our whole team after a while, which was simultaneously the time when my grandma died. One of the best parts about getting fired in a corpocracy was that they offered us a therapy to help us deal with the emotional distress of the whole situation. That was my first time in therapy and it was such a great experience that later on I realized it was exactly what I needed to get better.

MY ONLINE MARKETING JOURNEY

I moved back to my hometown, took a bit of a break working on a couple of wedding dresses and some custom sewing. Later on, I started looking for a job mainly because working alone felt simply very lonely. I sent CV to a couple of companies and mentioned my Instagram profile on it. Soon enough, an e-shop selling furniture for children contacted me and asked me for an interview, however for a different position than the one I applied for. They had seen my Instagram and asked me if I would like to work with them as a social media manager.

And that is how my journey in marketing began. I was creating and learning about social media algorithms and advertising on the go as it was constantly changing. It was a very challenging but also creative and mentally stimulating job.

After a while, I got the opportunity to start my own company with one of my dad's friends. I took it and believed that it would provide me with more freedom and space to grow. It did teach me a lot and I discovered a lot of new topics I had no idea about and uncovered how much indeed I still needed to learn about business and about marketing. I did my best with the company for 2 years. In the back of my head, I felt like one day I might be doing both fashion and marketing at the same time. I was trying to keep up with the fast development of technology, changing algorithms and AI while still postponing pursuing my authentic dreams and goals.

I DID WHAT I HAD TO

After a lot of thought I decided that the most fair and honest thing I could do for myself but also for my partner in the company was to come clean and express that I no longer wanted to continue. Giving up my dreams and not following them felt as if I was married to a person I had no feelings for and I was secretly in love with somebody else the whole time (by the way, this never happened to me but this is kind of what I imagine it must be like).

There is no guarantee that my dreams will come true or that my life will be easier in any way, but no matter what, I will be able to say that I gave it my all. So here I am. I left my company, created my own website, making my own products, taking care of my own marketing, using all the knowledge I learned during those years and still learning a lot along the way.

WHY TOTE BAGS

You may ask why I decided to start making tote bags. Well, that is quite easy. I simply really wanted a cute tote bag and I felt like there was nothing on the market that would fit what I was imagining.

I have a lot of friends all over the Europe and UK. I was traveling often to visit them or just went on a trip. As a fashion girlie and social media girlie, I wanted to wear cute outfits that would be also practical and suitable for traveling. I realized later on that no matter what I packed, I often ended up carrying a white tote bag that would simply be light enough for my carry-on luggage and big enough for carrying all of my essentials for properly exploring a new city. I felt like it's a real shame that I used only one white tote bag that didn't have any variety and didn't add much of any aesthetic element to my outfit.

I slowly became obsessed with the gingham pattern, partially because I've been playing a lot of animal crossing and partially because I really liked the checkered pink dress in the Barbie movie. Also, the whole cottage core trend is very close to me as it reminds me of my grandma and a more authentic, peaceful time in my life. One day I made myself a pastel yellow gingham bag out of fabrics I found in sale. To save more space, make it more durable and provide variety to outfits, I decided to make the bag reversible so that I have 2 in 1.

As I was wearing my bag, I started receiving a lot of compliments about it from my friends but also strangers. And that was how I decided that it would be a great idea to actually start making bags for others as well and turn it into a business.

The longer I do this the more I feel like a tote bag is truly the fashion accessory. It fits all sizes, genders, mindsets and gives every outfit (no matter how dull or basic it might be) an interesting aesthetic element. It can be very practical but also expressive and sustainable.

WHAT IS NEXT?

I do have plans for my shop, but I do feel like it would be too soon to talk about them and maybe it's even better if it's a bit of a surprise to you. Anyway, I hope I didn't bore you too much. Everything I said here comes straight from heart truly. Thank you for being interested in what I do and why I do it.

Take care <3

Karolína