Karabela Glam is a clothing brand based in Tampa Bay, Florida, working directly with artisans in Haiti to provide handcrafted traditional Karabela pieces.
Karabela Glam was born with the idea of helping increase awareness of Haitian culture through fashion. The founder, Debbie Toussaint, says her inspiration was simple: "I wanted to eliminate the gap of finding quality traditional attires. Often, I'm asked to wear traditional attires to events, and it was challenging to find authentic Haitian Karabela attire. I believe others want a piece of home to showcase their culture. Karabela Glam was born to fulfill this shared need." she expresses.
The brand provides attire for women, men, and children. Karabela Glam accepts custom orders, and pieces listed on their website are immediately ready to ship.
The history of Karabela dress attire goes back to 1940. "Karabela attire was the principal fabric worn by Haitians. Styles are often made as costumes and for everyday wear. When Haitians adopted this fabric, they referred to it as the fabrik pou ovriyer (fabric for workers). The fabric is strong and breathable. When stripped by threads, colors of dark indigo blue, white and pink arise. While it resembles denim-it is not." Debbie explains.
Karabela Glam's mission includes giving back to Haiti and empowering Haiti-based artisans through collaboration. "Artisans in Haiti handcraft traditional Karabela pieces for us. They are from various corners of Haiti and are proud of their crafts. Each piece is made with love and is well received by our customers."
Debbie tells us why supporting handmade craftsmanship is important to her brand. "To me, we live in a world directed towards mass production. Handmade is the real luxury. Wearing Karabela Glam helps a Black-owned woman's business. More importantly, it helps Haitians living in Haiti as they can make an immediate difference in situations impacting them. Knowing that my products are handmade, we're contributing to the talented artisans as you're keeping them booked and employed."
She is passionate about preserving Haitian culture through fashion to combat negative stigmas. "We have slowly seen how Karabelas is fading away as some Haitians are ashamed of wearing it, others don't get to touch or see the beauties of Haiti physically. Some don't know Haitians have a traditional attire that still exists. By promoting Karabela, we hope customers can connect with their culture and pass their attires down so that other generations can better understand the Haitian culture. This will then be a full circle of preserving our culture through fashion."
Debbie says her goal for Karabela Glam in the next 5-10 years is to employ more Haitian Artisans to supply traditional attires and accessories from home. "We've expanded our brand to include handmade sandals and straw bags, all Made In Haiti. We would also like to be recognized as the leader within this industry, supplying 100% of ready-to-ship products from Haiti and expanding to allow customers to make wholesale purchases."
You can shop Karabela Glam's clothing and accessories on their website and stay connected via Instagram.
