Carolina Herrera (born Maria Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño) is a successful Venezuelan fashion designer and entrepreneur. She was born on January 8, 1939 in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. Carolina

descended from a long line of Venezuelan landowners and statesmen. Her parents, Guillemmo and Maria Christina Pacanins raised her up in a protective yet cultured manner that influenced her growth into a classy and elegant woman.

In her early days, Carolina was already known for her beauty and grace, no doubt inherited from the dashing looks of her father and the cultivated charm of her mother. Her life was spent mostly in the company of the royals and elegant crowds of Venezuela as well as all over the world. She was considered in the 70’s and the 80’s as one of the best dressed women in the world.

She eventually built a company bearing her name in 1981. To test the waters, she started with creating a fashion collection which garnered a positive response from the fashion crowd. This made her decide to have her family relocated to New York where she formed Carolina Herrera, Ltd.

She began to design clothing that rapidly became known among specialty stores for their exquisite detail, and expert craftsmanship. More and more women began to wear Carolina’s wide range of impeccable suits, dresses that ooze with sophistication as well as gowns that exuded of lovely elegance.

Carolina’s fashion empire began to enjoy its taste of success in the 80’s. Her creations were so popular that she went on to dress Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on the later years of her life. Her empire grew steadily through the years.

In 1988 she expanded to creating her own line of fragrances for men and women. She started with a women’s fragrance, Carolina Herrera, which she launched in 1988. A men’s fragrance was launched sometime in 1991.

Carolina eventually expanded to creating her own line of cosmetics aside from her clothing collection and line of popular fragrances. Her collection of fashion accessories has become quite a successful venture that it has become the fastest growing areas in her rapidly growing fashion empire.

Carolina Herrera is married to Reinaldo Herrera Guevara with whom she had two daughters. She was previously married to Guillermo Behrens Tello from whom she also had two daughters. Her fashion empire is composed of three flagship boutiques located in New York, Los Angeles and Boston. 2003 saw Carolina also opening four other stores in order to launch her lifestyle brand CH Carolina Herrera.

Her business continues to expand as more and more retail branches continue to open up and carry her own lifestyle brand along with her other fashion collections.