Campus Catwalk: The Face Behind Krafted by Karol

Campus Catwalk: Jamie Karol

Hometown: East Williston, NY

Year: Freshman

Major: Retailing/Textile and Apparel Design

Firstly, how did this all get started?

This all got started when I was bored one day.  I had always been really fascinated by bleached clothing, so I decided to buy bleach and start cutting things and then quickly picked up sewing and found myself constantly coming up with new ideas.

Did you have a source of inspiration in the beginning of the process?

In the beginning my source of inspiration just came from other bleached and vintage tees that I had seen online and in stores.  Then I just kind of went with whatever ideas came to mind and started playing with a wide range of fabrics and designs.

How do you view the growth of your craft as a business?

Right now I’m just trying to grow as fast as I can while still finding a balance with my schoolwork.  I’m just trying to take as many orders as I can manage and hopefully build up a collection to one day have a trunk show…hopefully that will happen after finals, when I get back to New York.

How do you manage to make shirts within the walls of your dorm room?

My room right now actually looks like a disaster because of it, but luckily I’ve found a way to make it work with the little space that I have.  I usually sit on my floor with fabric spread out everywhere.

Where would you like to see Krafted by Karol in the future?

In the future, I hope to be able to create things far beyond just graphic and college tees; hopefully I’ll have a website up and running soon.  It’s really cool because people from a number of colleges have been contacting me about making shirts for them, so right now I’m just really focused on getting my name out there.

For orders and information, contact kraftedbyjamiekarol@gmail.com.  A website is in the works as well, but in the meantime make sure to check out Jamie’s designs on Instagram @kraftedbykarol.

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