Behind the Globes, a Made in USA Story

POLISH AMERICAN DESIGNER KAROLINA ZMARLAK DEVELOPS MODERNIST TAILORED READY-TO-WEAR, UTILIZING INNOVATIVE CONVERTIBLE TECHNIQUES AND ADVANCED FABRIC FUSIONS; SHE COMBINES MODERN FUNCTIONALITY WITH LYRICISM. EACH COLLECTION IS AN EXPLORATION OF THE FEMININE FORM AND STRENGTH DEMONSTRATED THROUGH REFINED CONSTRUCTION AND SEAMED ARCHITECTURAL DETAIL.

KAROLINA WAS BORN AND RAISED IN POLAND BEFORE HER PARENTS WON THE PRESIDENT CLINTON GREEN CARD LOTTERY. HER EUROPEAN SENSIBILITY AND EMIGRE FANTASIES DROVE HER TO THE WORLD OF TECHNICALLY BASED, VISUAL CREATIVITY. SHE STUDIED APPAREL DESIGN, SPECIALIZING IN FINE TAILORING, AT THE FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY IN NEW YORK CITY, GRADUATING WITH HIGH HONORS.

NAMED A GEN ART STYLES WINNER IN 2005, KAROLINA HONED HER SKILLS AT CAROLINA HERRERA AND THEORY. IN 2009, WITH HER PARTNER JESSE KEYES, SHE LAUNCHED HER EPONYMOUS WOMEN’S DESIGNER LINE. HER DEBUT COLLECTION WAS LAUNCHED IN THE FALL OF 2009 AT TAKASHIMAYA.

KAROLINA OFTEN CREATES CLOTHING THAT ALLOWS FOR CONVERTIBILITY. CUTTING CLEAN, SIMPLE FORMS, AND TAKING THE IDEALS OF THE MADE-TO-MEASURE PROCESS, HER DESIGNS PERMIT PERSONALIZATION: ONE FORMS THE PIECES TO THE BODY AND SELF. IN CONTRAST, HER FOCUS ON PRECISION TAILORING, INNOVATIVE FABRIC, AND THE FEMININE SILHOUETTE ADHERES TO THE IDEA OF A CONSTANTLY CHANGING PRESENT DAY WOMAN, WHILE COMMUNICATING THE AESTHETIC FOUND IN HER NATIVE POLISH HERITAGE: EASTERN EUROPEAN MINIMALISM. THE ENDURING DESIGNS ORIGINATE IN A HIGHLY PERSONAL AWARNESS AND OBSESSION WITH THE FEMALE DIMENSION AND SHAPE.

SEASON 5, EPISODE 15: KAROLINA ZMARLAK JACKET AND SKIRT

The Good Wife Season 5 Outfits, Explained by Costume Designer Daniel Lawson

Zmarlak's characteristic precision was also evident in some of the lineup's relatively basic pieces. A clingy crewneck sweater worn with a sharp, A-line midi skirt had timeless appeal. The standout skirt boasted darting seams that curved over the hips. "It's about supporting a certain proportion that a woman doesn't feel is fighting against her," the designer said. Abstaining from color and print, Zmarlak prefers to add interest in the form of texture. She whipped up a streamlined shift from crinkled cady that molds to the body with each wear, with a gauzy white button-up slit in back, which was decorated with striated creases that evoked an exoskeleton. All in all, this was a focused collection that suggested a promising future for Zmarlak.

Spring 2015 Ready-to-Wear

Karolina Zmarlak

For spring, Karolina Zmarlak focused on pieces with structure and texture. “It’s all about developed fabrics,” said Zmarlak. Thus, sturdy, tactical materials were cut in the architectural shapes for which Zmarlak has become known. There were hand-woven leather and rope vests and T-shirts in technical cotton, and several items, including a sheath dress, pencil skirt and structured tops, were done in an unusual techy creased knit.

Karolina Zmarlak RTW Spring 2015

Karolina Zmarlak’s collection is defined by modernist, minimal silhouettes and a clean palette of black, navy and cream. Without veering from her core aesthetic, she worked details garnered from a recent trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, into resort, adding a fringe trim to a slim, stretch viscose knit dress, and showing an architectural serape in sleek ivory cotton crepe with black seaming detail for a sophisticated interpretation of artisanal dressing.

Karolina Zmarlak Resort 2015

Aish’s cotton muslin scarf worn as a top and Karolina Zmarlak’s cotton knit skirt. Eddie Borgo necklace and bracelet; Schutz shoes.

Resort 2015 Trend: Gypsy GirlCultural musings have long fueled designers’ imaginations. This season, layers of rich textiles and intricate embellishments evoke a relaxed exoticism.

Karolina Zmarlak and Lisa Perry

BYRDIE BELL WEARING KAROLINA ZMARLAK RESORT 2015 AT THE RUSSEL JAMES BOOK LAUNCH PARTY

Karolina Zmarlak updated her sleek, modernist aesthetic by channeling the Victorian era for fall. (She said she became inspired while watching Showtime’s British-American horror series “Penny Dreadful.”)

“The collection has that Victorian moodiness and a dark sensibility, but also femininity,” Zmarlak explained. “It has a more dressed-up feeling.” The designer’s silhouettes are instantly recognizable for their precise tailoring and structured feel, but this

lineup featured a few looks with softer touches, such as a white crepe dress with an allover black tulle overlay or a silk tunic top with lace insets. She also stepped up her exotics, offering a ponyskin shell and skirt set, a detachable springbok fur vest on a

cashmere coat, and the pièce de résistance: a black alligator jacket dyed in upstate New York. Zmarlak’s customers, loyalists to her brand of understated drama, will find plenty to love here.

The Fashion Set Meets New York's New Mayor

This isn't Mayor Bill de Blasio's first New York fashion week in office, but we'll let last season's lack of participation slip. The man had only been sworn in just a few weeks prior. Now, eight months into his tenure, the mayor has had a bit more time to strategize a vision, enlist allies, and execute a plan—and it's an ambitious one. Last night, fashion's heavy hitters were summoned to Yorkville for a cocktail party at Gracie Mansion officially kicking off the week's festivities and announcing three new initiatives out of City Hall: a NYC Capsule Collection to help local designers produce and sell locally; an expanded "Made in NYC" branding program; and the first two Fashion Production Fund awards given to Karolina Zmarlak and Rosie Assoulin.

LAURA RAMSEY WEARING KAROLINA ZMARLAK FALL 2014 JACKET FOR VH1’S HINDSIGHT

This is a pivotal look, as it's the outfit she wears when she finds out about Will's death. He had it custom made by the New York designer specifically for this moment of the show. "Alicia was at a fundraiser being the politician's wife, so it was important that she look like she's in her armor," explained Lawson. "It read very buttoned-up and elegant. Then to contrast it with having her find out about Will's death, it showed that no matter how put together and armored you are, the bad stuff is still going to get through."

LOOK FROM SPRING 2015

In a monumental episode [Of The Good Wife] last season, when a main character — who happened to be Florrick’s lover — was shockingly murdered in a courtroom, Lawson [Show Designer] wanted to evoke the feeling when President John F. Kennedy was shot and First Lady Jackie Kennedy steeled herself for tragedy in a classic suit. Having found a vintage-inspired jacket with a standaway collar from New York-based Karolina Zmarlak, he asked the designer to make a matching skirt in one day.

“It drove home the episode,” said Lawson, adding that the silk-wool blend with a satin finish also satisfied Margulies’ impeccable taste. “Julianna can spot crappy quality a mile away,” he said.

CORY KENNEDY WEARING KAROLINA ZMARLAK PRE-FALL 2014 AT THE PERsoL Icons coLLEcTIon LAuncH

CORNER WINDOW AT SAKS FIFTH AVENUE, sHowcAsIng KARoLInA ZmARLAK PRE-FALL 2014

Karolina Zmarlak On Her Fifth Year In Business And Her Fall Collection

Nestled in a plush corner of Saks Fifth Avenue’s selling floor, Karolina Zmarlak‘s collection of finely tailored separates and dresses in muted colors hang on a rack. Each piece has a distinct detail; a curved zipper on the front of a creme and taupe dress, a crepe jumpsuit that nips in at just the right spots, and a bomber jacket accented with panels of python. These wares toe the line between ready-to-wear ease and made-to-order quality. Last night, Zmarlak introduced her Fall collection to the shop, along with an accompanying film. Over a glass of champagne, Zmarlak old us more about her label, which just hit the five-year mark…

BYRDIE BELL WEARING KAROLINA ZMARLAK FALL 2014 AT THE UNITED NATIONS TRUST FUND TO END

VIOLENCE AGAINTS WOMEN EVENT

BRAND WATCH: KAROLINA ON MY MIND

Karolina Zmarlak’s brand of sophisticated tailoring is for the put-together minimalist.

Karolina Zmarlak has the whole tall, thin, blonde, pretty thing down, but don’t underestimate this Polish expat—she has years under her belt in the design game and is serious about fashion and craftsmanship. With a CV that includes stints at Theory and Carolina Herrera and a background in made-to-measure, Zmarlak did the hours necessary to prepare to go out on her own in 2009. Below, get to know this designer with an eye for minimalism, an appreciation for the female form and a passion for a perfect fit.

On Wednesday night, supporters of Polish-American designer Karolina Zmarlak celebrated her Fall/Winter 2014 Fashion Film, launched with Saks Fifth Avenue, at the Designer Atrium.

KAROLINA ZMARLAK CELEBRATES HER

F/W ‘14 FASHION FILM

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Diane von Furstenberg

Tory Burch and Donna Karan

Jesse Keyes and Karolina Zmarlak

GIULIANA RANCIC WEARING SPRING 2014 TO HOST COTTON’S 24 HOUR RUNWAY SHOW L O O K S F R O M S P R I N G 2014

DEBRA MESSING IN KAROLINA ZMARLAK pierced dress AT THE TONIGHT SHOW

WITH JIMMY FALLON

JODIE FOSTER IN KAROLINA ZMARLAK illusion dress AT GLAMOUR

MAGAZINE’S WOMEN OF THE YEAR AWARDS

TONI COLLETTE WEARING KAROLINA ZMARLAK leather sheath

dress FOR THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN

JESSE KEYES

SOPHIA BUSH KAROLINA ZMARLAK

CHRISSY TEIGEN AND JOHN LEGEND

V IN DCOn Sunday night, roughly 400 guests—including John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Paula Abdul, Sophia Bush, and designer Karolina Zmarlak—toasted to four more years of Barack Obama at the famed residence of architect Arthur H. Keyes in Washington DC. The evening was hosted by Keyes's grandson, Jesse, whose design firm MODO was instrumental in remodeling the historical abode. Overall it was a Veuve and Belvedere-fueled affair that lasted until the wee hours, with the affluent crowd clearly tickled by the latest issue of V.

KAROLINA KURKOVA LEAVING NBC STUDIOS WEARING KAROLINA ZMARLAK FALL 2013

Karolina Zmarlak may have grown up in communist Poland, but she truly has a New York state of mind. After all, her critically acclaimed line has everything NYC women are looking for these days: Structured blazers, flattering trousers, and more than enough black to keep us looking sharp. So, when we got the chance to tour her studio and showroom, we couldn’t get to the Garment District fast enough.

What we found was a bevy of basics perfect for us working girls, as well as more prints than we could shake our (print-loving) fists at. We also got a behind-the-scenes look at in-the-works pieces and sketches, and quizzed the designer on all things inspiration and advice.

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TONI COLLETTE IN KAROLINA ZMARLAK SPRING 2014 AT THE 54TH BERLINALE FILM FESTIVAL

Karolina Zmarlak: Spring 2015 Video Fashion Week

LOOK FROM FALL 2011 LOOK FROM FALL 2011

KAROLINA ZMARLAK FALL 2011 FILM

Studio Stalker: Tour Karolina Zmarlak's Garment District Haunts

JULIANA SCHURIG IN KAROLINA ZMARLAK SPRING 2012ASHLEIGH GOOD IN KAROLINA ZMARLAK FALL 2012

K A R O L I N A Z M A R L A K FA L L 2013 F I L M

The modern, clean lines of Karol ina Zmarlak’s eponymous collection seem to stylishly defy the designer’s Midwestern roots. Zmarlak grew up in Des Plaines and then relocated to New York City, where she worked for Carolina Herrera and Theory before starting her own line. Her chic tailored sportswear is noted for its flattering lines, and also for incorporating subtle form-flattering shapes. Some pieces in her collection are reversible with doublefaced fabrics; others use beautiful blends, like the cotton silk pieces shown here.

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MODELS WEARING KAROLINA ZMARLAK SPRING 2015 TO VISIT VOGUE

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La situazione non migliora al photocall. La lunghezza al ginocchio andrebbe bandita: o poco sopra o poco sotto. Le mezze misure non ci piacciono.

“While much apparel manufacturing now takes place overseas, what remains in the United States is focused on high-fashion, high-value, quick-turnaround, high-margin orders,” said the JEC report. “Computer-aided design helps designers turn concepts into samples and helps manufacturers move from prototype to finished product on an accelerated level.” The report noted that the number of people working as fashion designers in the U.S. has grown by 50 percent in the last 10 years to more than 17,000, earning an average salary of $73,600. Part of the rejuvenation of New York’s design and manufacturing community is coming through joint government-industry initiatives. Karolina Zmarlak, the first Polish-born designer to graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology, was on hand to speak about how, as one of the two first recipients of the NYCEDC Fashion Production Fund, she was able to launch her business. “The Fashion Production Fund began under Mayor Bloomberg, and now Mayor de Blasio has continued to support it,” Zmarlak said. “It was actually a very difficult process to get approved, but once we did, it really allowed us to get started in business.”

Report: NYFW Economic Impact Close to $900M a Year

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney and designer Karolina Zmarlak.

AMERICAN ALLIGATOR ARMY JACKET FROM FALL 2015

It’s the local designers that make Fashion Week strut

The big event generates $887 million in spending as models, designers and audiences flock to the city, but designers like Karolina Zmarlak support local pattern makers, factories and fabric stores every day.

Fashion Week is a boon for the city—a biannual event that generates an estimated $887 million in economic impact, including $547 in direct spending, according to new data. But some of the designers showcasing their looks this week spend dollars every day on the city’s scores of pattern makers, factories and fabric stores. One is Karolina Zmarlak, who works with local fabric agents, leather stores, pattern makers and factories to produce her minimalistic women’s apparel brand. What sets her apart from the rest is her company’s roots in Chelsea and the garment district, and the functional design of her clothing that is meant “to be worn to shreds.”

TWO PAGE EDITORIAL , “WHITE NOISE” IN THE MARCH 2015 ISSUE OF AVENUE MAGAZINE

Jesse Keyes and Karolina Zmarlak Karolina Zmarlak and Lisa Perry

CHRISSY TEIGEN AND JOHN LEGEND

JESSE KEYES

Karolina Zmarlak RTW Fall 2015

Look from Spring | Summer 15 Collection

Look from Pre-Fall 15 Collection

KAROLINA ZMARLAK IS A LABEL TO WATCHThe Polish-born designer, who received a Gen Art award in college and was honored with a grant from the New York City Fashion Production Fund, tells us how she's making it in the industry.

Many aspiring fashion designers start out with an in-house gig at an established brand — or, if they're incredibly brave and have the appropriate funding — launch their own line after getting a degree or learning the ropes through internships. But sometimes thinking outside of the box can lead to a lucrative business opportunity with very little overhead. Such was the case for Karolina Zmarlak, who turned the independent made-to-measure business she started right out of college into an eponymous ready-to-wear label in just a couple of years.

Utilizing her tailoring training and experience using high-end materials, Zmarlak co-founded her brand with her partner Jesse Keyes, who has a background in business and architecture. She's built her line based on her obsession with how each garment is constructed and its ability to stand the test of time. Though her label is still relatively new, her commitment to using luxury fabrications and focusing on craftsmanship has placed her collection in the designer price point, where she's competing with industry greats like Stella McCartney, Donna Karan and Calvin Klein on the sales floor. That in itself is daunting, but Zmarlak has not taken a backseat to these bigger names: Not only was she one of the first-ever recipients of the prestigious New York City Fashion Production Fund — which provides emerging designers with below market-rate loans to secure financing and help producing all of their goods in NYC's Garment District — but her pieces have also caught the attention of top-tier costume designers, including the team who dresses Julianna Margulies for her Emmy Award-winning role on "The Good Wife."

Just before fashion week, we met with Zmarlak in her Chelsea design studio — where she heads up a very small team — to discuss how she's grown her business, the advice she has for young designers and the one woman she dreams of dressing. (I'll give you a hint: She lives in the White House.)

Jackets continue to be Zmarlak’s strong suit, but the wintry outerwear really stood out. A beautiful midnight blue mohair coat came with a removable pony-hair collar in the same color; tucked under a belt, the mash-up of textures looked covetable but still restrained. Zmarlak didn’t take her theme too far. On that same note, a jet-black cashmere coat and a springbok vest could be layered together or worn separately for three looks in one. That’s a good reason to invest, no? Zmarlak’s pencil dresses felt like more of the same, but she got experimental with stretch lace turtlenecks. They felt a little Victorian, which was the designer’s starting point—she was thinking about penny dreadfuls, romanticism, and the mystical qualities associated with flowers. Zmarlak was also inspired by mourning attire, which accounted for the heavy use of noir in the collection. Deep-pocketed fans of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibit Death Becomes Her would have a field day. Every piece is cut with razor-sharp lines and the finest materials imaginable, like supple leather, cashmere, pony hair, and even alligator (that jacket will retail for more than $37,000).

Fall 2015 Ready-to-Wear

Karolina Zmarlak

Karolina Zmarlak: Fall 2015 Video Fashion Week

Past Meets Present in Karolina Zmarlak’s Opulent Fall ’15 Film

With a mood board covered in images from the Industrial Revolution — as well as a few nods to Nineties grunge, à la teenage Kate Moss and Kurt Cobain — Karolina Zmarlak talked about the idea of decay and degradation, which informed not only her palette of black, slate gray and burgundy but also the intentional rawness seen in her signature seaming. A reversible, double-faced Italian wool coat in dual shades of gray with exaggerated lapels was a standout, as was a mixed-media taffeta and leather topper. Pre-fall marked Zmarlak’s first venture into cashmere knitwear, which she put her own twist on by focusing on precise tailoring and elongated sleeves.

Karolina Zmarlak Pre-Fall 2015

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68 | AVENUE MAGAZINE • MARCH 2015

Laura wears an overlapped vest by Karolina Zmarlak. Available at karolinazmarlak.com. White techno jersey pant by Carolina Herrera, $1,290. Emmanuelle pointed toe pump in ivory suede by Malone Souliers, $795. Available at saks.com

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Fresh looks for spring

photographed by Georgia Nerheim

styled by Emily Barnes

hair and makeup by Lizzie Arneson

using Giorgio Armani Beauty

styling assistance by Cheryl Sumeleh

model Laura@ VNY Model Management

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