EMERGING DESIGNER

Carlene Santos

IN THIS FEATURE: Meet Carlene Fashion Focus

arlene Santos' fabulous fashions have been featured in several publications and media including Boca Magazine, The Tyra Banks Show, Sunset Now Newspaper, Fortune Small Business, CNN Money, Boca News and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, 2009. Her swimwear and dresses are presently sold in exclusive stores from Palm Beach,Florida to Las Vegas,Nevada.

Designer, Carlene Santos was born and raised in a tiny village in the beautiful and exotic country of Brazil . When Carlene was a little girl, her village’s population was approximately 3,000 people. Needless to say, there were not many fashion conscious stores in this tiny village. As custom dictated, the women of the village would learn to sew, design and create their own clothing. Carlene’s mother took this craft to heart and sewed clothing for her family, which included Carlene and her two brothers and sisters.

When Carlene was 12 years old she followed the custom of her village and learned to sew. She went to a small school to learn and by the age of 14 she was making her own clothing as well as clothing for the rest of her family. When asked by MyCloset.com about her first designed piece, Carlene stated "I designed a pleated knee-length skirt." This creation was quite a feat for Carlene as she did not have an existing pattern for her vision. Being creative, Carlene decided to figure this ‘pattern making’ out for herself. She then cut out paper to make a pattern for the skirt and then proceeded to teach herself to make pleats. The finished skirt was so nice that Carlene decided to wear it to church. Everyone loved it!

After seeing Carlene's first creation, multiple family members and friends immediately began to place orders. This was the beginning of something wonderful! Carlene continued to create during her high school years and she did not steer far from her signature style.

While in high school, Carlene was fascinated with color and her use of bold, bright and vibrant colors defined her style. After high school, she decided to attend college. Unfortunately Fashion Design was not an option to study in Brazil , so Carlene elected to study communications. She earned a degree in communications and paid for school by sticking to her roots-making clothes for her friends and classmates.

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