Carolina Herrera

Carolina Herrera
Carolina Herrera
Born	María Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño; January 8, 1939 (age 87); Caracas, Venezuela
Occupation	Fashion designer
Years active	1965–present
Known for	Founder of Carolina Herrera fashion label

Carolina Herrera (born María Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño on 8 January 1939) is a renowned Venezuelan American fashion designer. Celebrated for her unique aesthetic, she established her eponymous label in 1980. Herrera has crafted designs for several First Ladies, including Jacqueline Onassis, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, and Melania Trump.

Early life

Born María Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño on 8 January 1939 in Caracas, Venezuela, she was the daughter of Guillermo Pacanins Acevedo, an officer in the Air Force, and María Cristina Niño Passios, a former governor of Caracas. Fashion was introduced to her through her grandmother, a socialite who took her to shows by designers such as Balenciaga and encouraged her to wear garments from prestigious houses like Lanvin and Dior, fostering her early passion for style.

Early career

Herrera’s professional journey began in 1965 when she worked as a publicist for Florentine Marquis Emilio Pucci, a family friend. Initially based at Pucci's boutique in Caracas, she later moved to New York City in 1980. Immersed in the city's high society alongside icons like Andy Warhol, Halston, and Bianca Jagger, she became known for her striking fashion sense. She was first listed on the International Best Dressed List in 1972 and was inducted into its Hall of Fame by 1980.

Early years

With guidance from Vogue Editor-in-Chief Diana Vreeland, Carolina Herrera launched her fashion line in 1980, starting with sample creations made in Caracas. Her debut collection was unveiled at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Club to widespread acclaim. Building on this early momentum, including a presentation at Martha's boutique on Park Avenue, Herrera secured investment to officially launch her brand, showcasing her first complete collection at the Metropolitan Club in April 1981 — a landmark event as the venue’s inaugural fashion show featuring supermodel Iman.

In 1981, Herrera’s label received notable attention from influential publications such as Women's Wear Daily and Tatler, particularly commending her innovative sleeve designs. The brand continues to present its Ready-to-Wear collections twice yearly during New York Fashion Week.

Among her distinguished clientele are Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who selected Herrera to design the wedding dress for her daughter Caroline; Diana, Duchess of Cadaval, who wore Herrera for her wedding to Prince Charles-Philippe of Orléans; and actress Renée Zellweger.

Takeover by Puig

Starting in 1988, the Spanish fragrance firm Puig obtained licensing rights to develop and distribute Carolina Herrera perfumes. Puig fully acquired the Carolina Herrera fashion house in 1995 while maintaining Herrera’s role as Creative Director.

The bridge line CH was discontinued in 1993 and succeeded by the Studio collection until 1996. In 2008, the company introduced CH Carolina Herrera, a lifestyle ready-to-wear brand catering to women, men, and children with an emphasis on accessories and leather goods produced in Spain. This label is licensed through Sociedad Textil Lonia, a private Galician enterprise. Each brand functions independently with separate management offices.

By 2011, Carolina Herrera's daughters, Carolina Jr. and Patricia Lansing, had begun contributing to the creative leadership. As of 2012, there were eighteen boutiques operating under Carolina Herrera and CH Carolina Herrera globally, with products distributed through approximately 280 stores spanning 104 countries. By 2016, the fragrance division boasted over 25,000 points of sale worldwide while CH maintained 129 standalone retail locations.

Carolina Herrera and CH Carolina Herrera have engaged prominent photographers such as Miles Aldridge, Patrick Demarchelier, Terry Richardson, Mario Sorrenti, Greg Kadel, Mario Testino, Brigitte Lacombe, and François Halard for their advertising campaigns.

In late 2016, the company initiated legal action to prevent designer Laura Kim, considered a potential successor to Herrera as creative director, from joining rival brand Oscar de la Renta. The dispute was resolved by early 2017 when Kim was permitted to assume co-creative director duties alongside Fernando Garcia.

In 2018, Carolina Herrera presented her final collection before passing creative directorship responsibilities to Wes Gordon.

Fragrances

By 2014, Carolina Herrera's portfolio included 15 principal fragrances across the Carolina Herrera, CH, and 212 lines. In 2016, the brand introduced Good Girl, marking its most significant women's fragrance launch in over a decade, featuring Karlie Kloss as the campaign ambassador.

Accessories

From 1994 to 1996, Herrera licensed a collection of leather goods and scarves to Swoboda International before eventually transitioning production to internal management.

Eyewear

Carolina Herrera's eyewear, encompassing both sunglasses and optical frames, has been designed, manufactured, and distributed worldwide through licensing agreements with Indo starting in 1997, De Rigo Vision from 2011 to 2021, and Safilo from 2022 onwards.

Other activities

Since 2004, Herrera has held a board position with jewelry designer Mimi So and has been a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) board since 1999.

Recognition

In 2008, Herrera was honored with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award by the CFDA and was previously named Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2004. Her accolades also include The International Center's Award of Excellence, Spain's Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts awarded in 2002, and the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Gold Medal received in 1997.

She has additionally earned the Fashion Group International Superstar Award, Style Awards Designer of the Year in 2012, and was recognized with the "Mercedes-Benz Presents" title for her 2011 collection. Herrera has graced the cover of Vogue magazine on seven occasions.

In 2005, she received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. Later, in 2014, she was presented with the Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion.

Personal life

At age 18 in 1957, Herrera married Guillermo Behrens Tello, a Venezuelan landowner and fifth cousin of Gustavo J. Vollmer. The couple had two daughters before divorcing in 1964: Mercedes Behrens-Pacanins and Ana Luisa Behrens-Pacanins, who wed developer Luis Paraud-Carpena in 1989.

Herrera remarried in 1968 to Reinaldo Herrera Guevara (1933–2025), who inherited the Spanish noble title of 5th Marquis of Torre Casa in 1962. Reinaldo was a Venezuelan television news anchor and son of Don Reinaldo Herrera Uslar, a distinguished sugarcane plantation proprietor and aristocrat. Through this marriage, Carolina held the title Marquise consort of Torre Casa until it was revoked in 1992 due to absence of male heirs. Reinaldo later worked as a special-projects editor at Vanity Fair. Together they have two daughters and six grandchildren, including:

Carolina Adriana Herrera-Pacanins (born 1969), married to Miguel Baez; their daughter Olympia Baez is pursuing fashion studies in Paris.
Patricia Cristina Herrera-Pacanins, who married Gerrit Livingston Lansing Jr. in 2002; they have three children.

In 2009, Herrera obtained United States citizenship through naturalization.

External links

Carolina Herrera