In Conversation with Caroline Priebe

Tell us about your background: 

Now that I’m 43, I risk writing a book answering this question! I’ve always been a multi-hyphenated person; I’m never working on one thing or in one role. I’m a Designer, Entrepreneur, Educator, Consultant, Life Coach, and Chef. Those multi-hyphens go for my education too. I went to Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and majored in Marketing and International Business with a minor in Economics. From there my first job was at DKNY on the business side. After a year I was totally burnt out. I started looking for meaning. I discovered the work of pioneering sustainable fashion designer, educator, and author Lynda Grose’s work. At this point, I could almost stop and say the rest is history. 

When I learned you could design garments and solve social and environmental problems at the same time I was sold. 

Lynda, now the head of the CCA Fashion Dept. infused sustainability into her curriculum. I applied, got in, and moved to SF to get a 2nd Bachelors's at CCA. I returned to my beloved Brooklyn in 2003 and started assisting stylists and photographers. My best friend’s mom is a fashion photographer, Shelia Metzner and 2 of her sisters were stylists which opened some doors including an internship with Zero + Maria Cornejo. I was drawn to Maria’s work because she made thoughtful, original, and clever patterns. She doesn’t re-fabricate existing silhouettes (unless they are hers), she creates something totally new that always ends up timeless and beyond trend. You keep Maria’s pieces. 

I started my brand ULURU in 2005. The brand grew pretty fast from 65 boutiques to Barney’s, Nordstrom, Holt Renfrew, Harvey Nichols in 2 years. Then 2008 happened. I made it another year, almost took on an investor and after running the numbers over and over and came to the conclusion, much like the recent T Magazine article “Sweatpants Forever” pointed out, the industry was not a financially sustainable environment. 

ULURU had previously collaborated with Alabama Chanin on an upcycled collection and developed a friendship. After shutting ULURU, I went to work with Alabama Chanin on a “denim” collection hand indigo-dyed in the basement of JLo’s church in the Bronx. 

I wasn’t ready to leave Brooklyn for Florence, AL full-time, and decided to look for work in NYC, which lead me to Loomstate/Rogan. At the time, Loomstate was the organic denim pioneer. With Rogan, I had the opportunity to spearhead some really special local/upcycled/bespoke/organic projects with celebrity clients and Barney’s “Eco-Special Projects”. Loomstate was invited to collaborate with Parsons School of Design on a “Zero Waste Fashion” class project. The next semester I was invited to teach that class as adjunct faculty along with a “Circular Fashion” course a few years later. I’m still really proud of that curriculum. Some of the students went on to win LVMH awards and start businesses with what we created in that class. 

At Rogan, I discovered how much I loved designing menswear. It is less trend-driven than women’s and more focused on high-quality materials, functionality, and durability. I accepted a position, but really positions, plural, at Freemans Sporting Club. I designed/managed the products/supply chain/store buying, which gave me a lot of opportunities to take the brand in a more sustainable/circular direction. I also prepared the brand for wholesale and a Japanese partnership. I loved that job, the product, and the family-like culture. One of the owners made an unfortunate decision to bring an aggressively sexist friend into an untitled role and it was no longer a safe environment I could work in. It broke my heart.

For the last 5 years, I have been consulting for brands such as Outlier, Permanent Collection, Umber & Ochre, Scaling Retail, and Rudi Gernreich. In 2019, I completed a certification in Corporate Sustainability from NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business which taught me how to create a formal sustainable business strategy template. I founded The Center for the Advancement of Garment Making, to do just that, advance garment making from a polluting and exploitive pursuit to one with net positive impact. We work with brands and fashion professionals to embed sustainability into a brand’s DNA and their thinking to create leaders that inspire others. The CAGM is launching a Sustainability Leadership Course for fashion professionals in October 2020, to arm participants with the knowledge needed to revolutionize and humanize our industry. Sign up for details!

What do you wish you’d known when you started out?

This is a great question I don’t have an answer to. I am very much someone who has to live her way into an answer. I would not know now, what I had not tried earlier. 

Best career advice you've ever received?

JUST KEEP GOING and create multiple income streams. 

What leadership qualities are important to you?

Honesty, integrity, empathy, compassion, vision, humility and accountability. 

What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far? 

Sexism in the workplace and earning enough money as a single income family to be able to afford to live in NYC.

And for fun, what is your favorite wardrobe staple?

Rachel Comey jumpsuits.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-priebe-587a0a4/