Karolina zmarlak biography

Zmarlak was born in Poland.
Karolina Zmarlak, creative director, KZ_K Studio.
The Polish-born designer, who received a Gen Art award in college and was honored with a grant from the New York City Fashion Production.

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KAROLINA ZMARLAK, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, KZ_K STUDIO

STUDIED TAILORING AT FIT, GRADUATING WITH HONORS, WHILE WINNING THE GEN STYLES COMPETITION. SHE BEGAN A PRIVATE CUSTOM BUSINESS PRIOR TO THE 2008 GREAT RECESSION, FOCUSING ON SPECIALTY PIECES THAT WERE ONE-OFF AND MADE-TO-ORDER SPECIFICALLY TO THE SIZE, FIT AND NEED OF THE CLIENT. KAROLINA INFUSED TAILORING SPECIALIZATION, TECHNIQUE AND PARTICULAR MODERN MINIMALIST IDEALS INTO EACH PIECE.

THAT CONCEPT EVOLVED INTO THE EPONYMOUS KAROLINA ZMARLAK, A WOMEN’S READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION, WHEN ALONG WITH HER PARTNER, JESSE KEYES, AN URBAN PLANNER AND ARCHITECT BY TRAINING, THEY DECIDED THAT THE COLLECTION SHOULD UTILIZE THE THINKING OF THE MADE-TO-MEASURE PROCESS, BY CREATING PERSONALIZED PIECES BOUGHT OFF THE RACK. EACH PIECE WOULD HAVE MULTI USE THAT TRANSLATES INTO REAL VALUE (DURING THE HEART OF THE RECESSION). BUSINESS OF FASHION PUBLISHED AN EXTENSIVE ARTICLE ON THE COLLECTION, ENTITLED “ TRANSFORMATIONAL VALUE.” THE CONCEPT STOOD FOR CONVERTIBLE DESIGN THAT COULD BE WORN VARIABLY DEPENDING ON ONE’S OWN LOOK, MOOD AND NEED, GENERA

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How Covid-19 helped Karolina Zmarlak reclaim the soul of her fashion company

Covid-19 has spelled disaster for sales in the fashion industry. Brooks Brothers and Nieman Marcus, for example, filed for bankruptcy. And LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton saw an 84 percent revenue drop during the first half of 2020. Meanwhile, The McKinsey Institute predicted that fashion companies will post a 90 percent decline in profits last year, when they had reported a 4 percent rise in profits the year before.

But for designer Karolina Zmarlak, sales were only one part of the picture. Her fashion company, KZ_K Studio, has weathered the storm not through revenue, but through deep, unique connections with her clientele.

When the pandemic first hit in March, the first thing Zmarlak did had nothing to do with clothes: she and her business partner called and texted their 1,000+ clients to check in on them individually. Her clients include A-listers including Jodi Foster, Cynthia Nixon and Gloria Estefan.

“Our clientele, these women, are the lifeblood of our business. They are an extension of our fa

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I dived deeper into this brand after attending this compelling, sexy, artistry, and sophisticated event last night. Everything was so sexy, and well chosen, from the scented candles they lit to the flowers they used to accentuate the intoxicating energy in the venue.

THE BRAND

Founded by Polish-born fashion designer, Karolina Zmarlak and her business and life partner, architect, and entrepreneur Jesse Keyes, this NYC-based brand is based on the tenets of modernism. KZ_K Studio extols the use of technologically advanced materials integrated into a purely functional form for maximum efficiency and versatility, minimizing excess and maximizing utility, resulting in a light, refined, and essentially minimal product form.

BRAND PILLARS

Design Discipline
1. Multi-form for multi-functionality
2. Technically developed mechanisms for reversibility and convertibility
3. Advanced fabrics to support this discipline
4. Integrability via modernist aesthetic consistent across collections
Architectural Studio Mentality
1. Technical Capacity
2. Aesthetic Coherence
3. Concept D