Argentine Designer Carolina K Opens Flagship Store in the Design District

On a breezy Thursday evening, a crowd gathers at the corner of NE Second Avenue and 43rd Street in the Design District. The exterior of the cream-colored building is lined with a collection of plants and patio seating. Beautifully tanned people spill out of the store and congregate on the sidewalk. They're celebrating the grand opening of the new Carolina K flagship store (4300 NE Second Ave.).

Inside the store, designer and owner Carolina Kleinman emerges from the back room. She floats over to a nearby couch, where she notices familiar faces. Her pink paisley-print kaftan moves like a cape, engulfing the petite woman. Before she takes a seat, she exhales and drops her hands to her sides, making her look almost like a goddess descending from the skies. The group seated on the couch claps at her arrival.

Kleinman started the Carolina K brand in 2005 after many years of traveling the world. Born in Argentina, she comes from a family lineage of textiles, so it was almost as if it were her destiny to build her lifestyle brand one day.

Speaking to New Times a week later via Zoom, the Argentine designer says, 'This is what I love to do, developing collections or a store."

When designing the Carolina K store space, Kleinman had a specific vision in mind. She wanted to use only vintage or recyclable materials, which aligns with her brand's sustainability mission.

Most of the furniture in the store came from local vintage shops or second-hand stores. One of Kleinman's favorite pieces, she says, is the centerpiece table. "It's this recycled glass table that looks like malachite stone. It's green, and it has a round green top, and it's all made of recycled Heineken bottles."
The store is outfitted to feel like a tropical escape. Wicker furniture throughout the space and a large palm tree mural painted on the back wall by local artist Diego Luchetta make it welcoming, almost like a dear friend's living room — or that rental house you stayed at once in the Keys.

Carolina K primarily sells designer clothes, but at her new Design District location, you can find a little bit of everything. There's stunning jewelry and purses, as well as plates and home decor. Additionally, Kleinman is selling her new line of custom wallpaper, which can be seen throughout the store.

"My idea for the store was to be able to showcase our home wear and our wallpapers — the Carolina K lifestyle. The lifestyle of the brand is the brand," she adds. "We also have certain pieces that will be exclusive to the store. And another thing I love doing is curating from other brands things that I don't make, like jewelry and accessories."

As part of Kleinman's commitment to her craft, she also plans to spotlight local talent. The store will feature work by a local artist that is available for purchase. Currently on display is sculpture work by Beatriz Chachamovits.
"Beatriz and I share our love for ocean preservation," Kleinman explains. "We joined forces for the store opening, and she made those special vases and pieces specifically for the store opening. My idea is to offer the space for the community, to interesting people that have a unique point of view to share their work with the community."

Kleinman moved to Miami in 2016 to work for Faena Miami Beach. She's been based in the Magic City ever since, opening her own studio space in Little River in 2021.

The flagship store opening comes on the heels of Kleinman's 20th anniversary of the Carolina K brand. While a Carolina K dress will set you back at least $500, the brand's primary mission is sustainability and supporting Latin-American artisans.

"I started this brand to preserve heritage and support artisans throughout Latin America," Kleinman says. She settles deeper into her chair, bringing her left foot up and resting her hand against her knee. Many of the techniques used in the Carolina K pieces are ancestral techniques that would otherwise fade away, she says. "For the first 13 years of the brand, everything was entirely made by hand. There wasn't a single piece that wasn't handmade."
When developing a new collection, Kleinman typically spends time with the artisans and lives among the crafters. "Every collection has been a true reflection of my lifestyle, whether I was living off the grid in Mexico or Peru through the developing stages of the brand."

"It's been an amazing journey where I get to support all these different people and families," says the designer as she pushes back her thick, black-framed glasses and leans closer to the computer. "We're going to keep empowering women and artists around the world."

Carolina K. 4300 NE Second Ave., Miami; 786-373-7355; carolinak.com.