Designer Karina Sharif wants to tell Black women’s stories through her clothes
Photo: Stephanie Mei-Ling When New York’s strict lockdown went into effect in early March, Karina Sharif started making clothes and posting the results on Instagram. Tagged #COVIDSEWING, the carousel-style posts showcased portraits and videos of Sharif in her Crown Heights studio apartment draping, cutting, and sewing garments and modeling them herself.
Sharif sees herself as someone with a maximalist aesthetic but a minimalist approach to construction: “My paperwear expresses shape, body, and emotion out of a minimal material. Similarly, my denim uses upcycling to bring color and a range of materials to an everyday silhouette. I like it when my work feels approachable yet still stands out from the crowd.” Her customer, she explains, is “someone who values comfort but loves a bit of drama.
But when she graduated at the start of the 2008 recession, few jobs were available, and she had to make do with pattern work. She found herself disheartened by the realities of an industry she had dreamed of joining. “I took a step back and decided, if I was going to continue to participate, I would have to choose a path that I could feel good about,” says Sharif. As a Black creative, she adds, it’s important to step away sometimes and give yourself room to gather, think, and process.
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