About Karishma Design
Karishma Design - Fashion with Integrity
BACKGROUND
Karishma Design is a proudly South African fashion label that is currently based in Auckland, New Zealand. What began as a childhood passion for clothing and design has grown into an eco-friendly fashion label that encompasses global diversity, fair trade, and social responsibility.
The label was launched in Taiwan in 2003 with a commitment to negating serious issues in the fashion industry such as waste, poor working conditions, sweatshops and a dominant capitalist ideology of profits before people.
Drawing upon a rich cultural heritage and experiences living in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific for inspiration, the Karishma team sources beautiful indigenous textiles from developing countries around the world. The textile workers in these countries benefit directly from every purchase made, enabling them to create better lives for themselves and their children. Karishma Design is committed to creating a positive impact in the lives of as many people as possible.
PHILOSOPHY
Karishma Design is about celebrating and empowering people, whilst honouring the rich cultural traditions of the earth. Every piece of clothing is uniquely crafted and comes with its own story, bringing awareness to the story of where the clothes come from and who contributed to their creation.
The concept of fair trade and sustainable practises is threaded throughout the company – from the sourcing of fabrics and raw materials to the manufacturing process. It is not only a business philosophy, but also a lifestyle philosophy that is shared amongst everyone on the Karishma team.
With a deep respect for spirituality and cultural ancestry, Karishma Design pieces are intended to add a touch of natural beauty to the modern woman and inspire confidence in the many varied physicality of our increasingly interconnected cultural milieu. Everyone is already a perfect canvas, and clothing is just there to accentuate the natural beauty that lies within.
THE CLOTHES
Inspired by the goddess archetype, the Karishma Design philosophy pays homage to the sacred feminine with pieces that are stylish and practical, and comfortable yet stunningly elegant. Immerse yourself in our sustainably sourced organic cottons, silks and linens. Our multi-faceted garments can be worn to the gym over the top of gym clothes, or after yoga class, enabling you to go ahead with the rest of your day, looking and feeling glamorous. For work wear, feel stylish and confident while effortlessly transitioning from corporate office to cocktails and dinner. Because outfits can be worn in more than one way you can give every outfit your own personal touch, and let your own sense of style shine through.
ECO-STANCE
Our eco-fashion philosophy is to re-use and reduce. Reduce waste, reduce overconsumption, and reduce our carbon footprint. Our garments are designed to be continuously reinvented and recreated into timeless pieces that will outlive any fashion fad.
OUR IDEOLOGY
Karishma Design’s mission is to create a completely transparent, closed-loop supply chain, from maker to wearer providing expressive clothing pieces that is
economically sustainable for all. Our aim is to find a path forward that avoids the many
unhealthy practices employed by the current clothing industry. As inhabitants of this sacred planet it is our duty to respect and care for it and all its inhabitants, through a
new paradigm shift towards conscious choices, both within and without.
OUR DESIGN PROCESS
Our contemporary collections of designer separates are meant to be put together as building blocks; these are meant to be created and transformed to suite each individual’s unique personality and lifestyle. Our clothing is meant to be in alignment with creative self-expression, not what trends, fads and other external influences dictate. All of the pieces in our collection form a puzzle that is continuously reinventing itself into artworks of your own making. For the creative team at Karishma, clothing is an art work created as inspiration strikes and not to be determined by a consumer-oriented fashion season. This is ‘slow fashion’ in a fast-paced world. Each piece of our ‘building blocks’ is created periodically from left over or waste fabrics that we buy from one of the largest textile industries in the world. Not only does this give us the opportunity to help the industry reduce waste, we also create unique designs with no guarantee that we would repeat certain textiles. The size and times of the ranges are largely determined by inspiration, which is then showcased in the same way as an artist would show his / her art collections. The clothing is made under fair trade conditions in Sri Lanka led by a husband and wife team and a few other eager and talented young women and men who show interest and skill, but lack opportunity. This is the start of a more sustainable design and production process that intends of continuously improving and eliminating unhealthy industry practices.