Today we’d like to introduce you to Carol Coelho.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Carol. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and grew up in a small town in Brazil. After high school, I attended Indiana University studying Fashion and Costume Design. My last year at IU, I won a design competition which then gave me an internship at the house of Bill Blass in NYC. I then moved to NYC and was hired during the second month of my internship. I worked under Prabal Gurung, who was the senior designer and Michael Vollbracht as creative director. Then, I had the opportunity to work under Peter Som for a couple of seasons before the headquarters had to shut down in late 2008. I then went to Paris to work in fabric manipulation for a season while I learned French. It was a great experience overall, I house swapped with a French girl, she lived in my apt in NYC and I lived in hers.
After my four months were due, soon upon returning to New York in 2009, I was hired by Isaac Mizrahi to work as his Textile Manager. I was afraid at first that since this wasn’t a design position, I would not be happy; but that was the opposite. I learned so much from him and the team. He is simply a genius. I saw him design for his own RTW brand, for Liz Claiborne and eventually start the contract with QVC.
As the market in Brazil was on the rise, I had an opportunity to go back to Sao Paulo and work as head designer for Carlos Miele, one of the biggest evening wear brands at the time with stores in Brazil, France, and NYC. I lead a team of 6 designers and a sample room of 15 workers, designing evening, separates and accessories for two years until launching my own label.
My label started as custom bridal and evening wear and I created everything made-to-order inside my own atelier. We had pattern makers, seamstresses, embroiderers. About three years into the business, I saw an opportunity and created Carol Coelho Intimates, offering readily available luxury lingerie to brides and women, in general.
In August 2018 due to personal reasons, I decided to relocate the business to Florida. It is like starting all over again, from scratch, but here I am, happy to have made this move.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Definitely not that smooth. There were so many obstacles.
When deciding what sample fit size to use, we were stuck. There are so many different body types and how do you follow one simple size chart when grading sizes? We figured the best possible way was to have multiple women wear the garments in different size samples and see what they would complain and listen to their feedback. This way we can try and adjust everything to one master sloper sample and from that start production.
For a small business like mine, we struggled to find a way to have wonderful product at the right and competitive price to be able to enter the market without having to lose quality and detail.
Every time we wanted to expand the brand to create something new, we’d face the issue of finding suppliers and factories to produce it. That is always a challenge we still face today. Innovation scares some people!
Tell us about your company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
Carol Coelho LLC is a company specializing in women’s wear. We offer a line of intimate and lingerie collection available online and in multi-brand boutiques and stores. The collection ranges from robes, nightgowns, bodysuits, and undergarments and offers specific luxury items for brides on their special day.
We also have a custom-made line of bridal gowns and evening wear all made-to-order where I personally meet with clients to design, fit and create their special occasion garment. We have a large selection of samples and an archive of fabric and material samples.
I focus on exclusivity and quality always prizing what women hold most dear: their differences. I try to balance my client’s personality with an aesthetic reminiscent of a timeless fashion that questions the eye. It sounds cliche, but an idea of something to last and be loved forever. Our slogan is to make you feel beautiful and powerful. Give you the power to love looking at what you wear.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck is a tough one…
I think I’ve been lucky enough to have had the drive to work hard every year more than the last.
I was lucky to be able to hear the words that push you forward.
I was lucky to have had the opportunities I had from the beginning and the support from people close to me on the hardest days when I wanted to give up.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.carolcoelhointimates.com
- Phone: 7277446499
- Email: shop@carolcoelho.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/carolcoelhoofficial
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