Carolina Herrera
Puig · United States
Carolina Herrera is a New York luxury fashion house founded in 1981 by Venezuelan-born designer Carolina Herrera and known for elegant eveningwear and best-selling fragrances. Spanish group Puig has owned the fashion business since 1995. Wes Gordon has been creative director since 2018.
| Founded | 1981, New York |
|---|---|
| Founder | Carolina Herrera |
| Owner | Puig (fashion since 1995) |
| Creative director | Wes Gordon (since 2018) |
| Headquarters | New York, United States |
| Key fragrances | Good Girl, 212 |
| Website | carolinaherrera.com |
What is Carolina Herrera?
Carolina Herrera is an American luxury house that describes itself as "the original icon of bold elegance". It designs women's ready-to-wear, eveningwear, bags and accessories, and has a large beauty business covering fragrance and make-up. It belongs to Puig, the Barcelona-based group that also owns Rabanne, Jean Paul Gaultier and Dries Van Noten.
History
Carolina Herrera moved to New York in 1980 and presented her first full collection at the Metropolitan Club in April 1981. Puig licensed her name for perfumes from 1988 and acquired the fashion business in 1995, keeping the founder as creative director.
Herrera showed her last collection in 2018 and handed creative direction to Wes Gordon, who had joined as a consultant the year before. Gordon has brought stronger colour and volume to the collections while keeping the house's codes, and he remains listed by Puig as creative director in 2026.
Products and positioning
The house operates in the luxury segment, with fashion and beauty closely linked:
- Ready-to-wear and eveningwear shown at New York Fashion Week
- Bags and accessories, including new Herrera handbags
- Fragrances such as Good Girl (2016), the 212 line and Bad Boy
- Make-up, sold under the Carolina Herrera name
CH Carolina Herrera, a lifestyle line launched in 2008 with a focus on accessories and leather goods made in Spain, is operated under licence.
Business model and distribution
Fashion is sold through the brand's own boutiques, e-commerce and wholesale partners, while fragrances reach a much wider network. Wikipedia reports that in 2012 the fashion lines were sold through 18 boutiques and 280 stores in 104 countries, and that by 2016 the fragrances had more than 25,000 points of sale.
Why it matters
Carolina Herrera is a leading example of the fragrance-led luxury model, in which a designer house provides the image for a global beauty business. It is also one of the few American houses to manage a successful succession from its founder.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Carolina Herrera?
Carolina Herrera is owned by Spanish beauty and fashion group Puig. Puig licensed the name for fragrances from 1988 and acquired the fashion business in 1995.
Who designs Carolina Herrera now?
Wes Gordon has been creative director since 2018, when founder Carolina Herrera showed her last collection. He had joined the house as a creative consultant a year earlier.