Carolina Herrera |

Carolina Herrera Wedding DressPosted by admin on August 19th, 2008

Carolina Herrera (born María Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño on January 8, 1939), Marquess of Torre Casa, is a fashion designer and entrepreneur who founded her eponymous company in 1980.

Herrera was born in Caracas, Venezuela. Based in New York City since 1981, throughout the 1970s and 1980s she was named one of the best dressed women in the world. Her empire grew rapidly and steadily and she went on to dress Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for the last 12 years of her life.

Herrera is married to Reinaldo Herrera Guevara, Marqués de Torre Casa, an editor at Vanity Fair magazine, with whom she had two daughters. She was previously married to Guillermo Behrens Tello, with whom she had two daughters as well.

Carolina Herrera is a Goodwill Ambassador and Facilitator for the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition, IIMSAM, and its affirmative action programme, The Right to Food Campaign Initiative Against Malnutrition and Fashion United Against Malnutrition. IIMSAM works to promote the use of micro-algae Spirulina (Spirulina Platensis) to counter malnutrition and its severe negative impacts especially in the Developing and Least Developed Countries (LDC). Carolina states: "If my work at the IIMSAM were to save the life of even one child from the forty thousand children that die of malnutrition and related diseases each day, I would consider it the greatest work of my life."

Ms. Herrera is a recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.

There are three Carolina Herrera flagship boutiques in the world. The New York flagship is located on Madison Avenue, Los Angeles, California flagship on Melrose Place, and Dallas, Texas flagship in Highland Park Village.

In 2003, Carolina Herrera launched a lifestyle brand called CH Carolina Herrera. In that year, the company opened four stores at The Galleria in Houston, Texas, Americana Manhasset, in Manhasset, New York, The Forum Shops at Caesars in Las Vegas, Nevada, and The Village of Merrick Park in Coral Gables, Florida. In 2006, the retailer opened a boutique in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California, and in NorthPark Center in Dallas, Texas.

The company is aggressively expanding this lifestyle brand, and it anticipates opening more stores in 2007 in Austin and San Antonio in Texas; Orlando, Tampa and Palm Beach in Florida; San Diego; Phoenix, and eventually, Los Angeles.