Juana Diaz
Santiago designer, Juana Diaz is both a fashion designer and a textile artist, working with textile scraps to generate exclusive hand crafted products through fair labor with female home workers.
Burning Torch
Nurtured by entrepreneurial parents and small private schools, Karyn Craven always dreamt of being an artist. After graduating from UCLA with a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts, she went onto sell her first clothing project of hand painted T-shirts to Fred Segal in L.A. The Burning Torch collection was created in 1999, and built on the tangible embodiment of Karyn’s personal philosophy of freedom and transformation. Conceived as a “melting pot” of energies reflecting her own hybrid nature, formed through her combined Maltese, Scottish, English, Dutch and French cultural heritage. Karyn utilizes her travels as her source of inspiration, as well as fabric sourcing and development, incorporating custom embroideries and rich color palettes into the collection. The brand, like each individual piece, reflects a foundation of respect for individuals and their culture. Driven by a vision that melds vintage, modern, organic and global sentiments, combined with a commitment to recycling materials and the idea that energy and history are reflected in each and every item they produce.
“I do really believe strongly that each individual can make a difference by the choices they make every day all day long.” Burning Torch’s debut collection was made entirely from recycled vintage garments, and was bought by Barneys New York in fall of 1999. As distribution has expanded, the collection has transformed into a full fashion sportswear collection with the focus on the creation of distinctive silhouettes, newly developed fabrics and treatments and unique hand-detailing. Today, each Burning Torch garment reflects tremendous attention to detail, which has become a signature characteristic of the line, with the collection transcending age and time – a key reason for the loyal following that the brand enjoys.
“We are the complete opposite of the granola crunching hemp big baggy pant thing. The concept was to take something undesirable and transform it into something unique and special.” Burning Torch currently employ over twenty people in-house, producing five collections per year comprising a wide selection of lifestyle pieces, as well as a men’s and babies line. Karyn Craven designs each collection as well as oversees the quality and individuality of the collection as it continues to grow. Ultimately, the designer envisions all sorts of opportunities for the brand in the future, such as… “A small Burning Torch boutique hotel in a remote exotic location, complete with Torch furnishings with our signature style”
Burning Torch currently sells in over two hundred boutiques and department stores across thirty five states in the US, as well as selling in Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea, Israel, New Zealand, Russia and the UK.
Website: www.burningtorchinc.com
