We Are Upstate NY With Fashion Designer Karina Cousineau of Karina Dresses

Looking for the perfect dress for the office, your next travel destination, or a trip to the farmer’s market? Karina Dresses will likely have just one (or several!) to suit your style, mood and body type. We’re in the Kingston, NY, atelier of Karina Cousineau, aka Karina Dresses, to learn more about her style and philosophy on business and life, and what makes her dresses perfect for any occasion.

Karina desired a comfortable dress that could go from day to evening without a change in between. Unable to find what she was looking for in stores, she began designing and making dresses herself in her Brooklyn apartment–and Karina Dresses was born. Designed with a vintage flair and a variety of styles suited to fit “every body,” Karina Dresses are comfortable, machine washable, come in a variety of fun prints and styles, and are great to travel with (hint: they don’t wrinkle!)

Karina learned to sew from her mom at a young age, and her early work included running production for a clothing company in Bali and designing home furnishings for Ralph Lauren in NYC in the 1990s. Unhappy working for larger fashion houses, Karina envisioned a business offering fair wages and balancing work and life. She built her company slowly and thoughtfully, eventually taking on a partner to run the business while focusing on her designs. Karina eventually moved her business from Brooklyn to the Catskills and opened a store on Wall Street in Kingston, NY. Today, you’ll find Karina dresses in her Kingston store, online and in boutiques across the country.

Karina values authenticity and loves connecting with her clientele. Peruse her Instagram profile and note that all the models wearing her clothes are actual customers. They adore this brand! Driven by an atmosphere of love and ease at work and in her personal life, and together with her staff of mostly women and a cohort of two rescue dogs, Blanca + Pepe and a cat named Henry, Karina’s main mission for her business and her life is to promote kindness, love and joy. Let’s get to know Karina Cousineau! 

INSIDE+OUT: Where were you born and how did you wind up in the Hudson Valley?

Karina Cousineau: I was born and raised in Massachusetts. After some travels between Los Angeles and Indonesia, I settled in New York and visited the Hudson Valley often. In 2008, I bought my first home in Phoenicia. I split my time between Phoenicia and Brooklyn. In 2016, I left Brooklyn and brought my business to Kingston. I’m so happy I did!

When did you decide to start Karina Dresses, and what sets you apart from your competition?

In 2008, Karina Dresses was born. I had worked in corporate fashion for many years before starting my business. Back then, the fashion world did not embrace all women. Sizing was geared towards women who fit somewhere between a size 0 and size 4. My company mission was to make dresses for women of all sizes and shapes that could easily go from day to night with comfort and easy wear and care. A dress that you don’t have to think about at all, because no matter the occasion or day of the month, it’s going to fit well and make you feel beautiful and confident and maybe even a little time back into your already busy day.

Along with the mission of creating beautiful, comfortable dresses that make every woman feel welcome, I felt very strongly about having a USA-made company. I am very proud of the fact that we not only design and print many of our fabrics in the USA but also sew every single Karina Dress ever made right here in New York state.

You have a brick-and-mortar and online retail shop. What are the perks and challenges of running both?

In the beginning, my business was just wholesaling to retailers and doing craft/artisan shows, but I quickly saw that online shopping was a trend that was here to stay. I launched the Karina Dresses website in 2010, and it was slow going at first. The biggest challenge is being “discovered” by potential customers. It took time and a lot of dedication to make it a success. Having some strong press and loyal customers played a big part!

Once I moved my business to Kingston in 2016, we were able to have our first brick-and-mortar shop. Our shop is great for getting customer feedback. I built the business listening to what women want, and face-to-face input is so important to me. But of course, our online store allows us to reach more people anytime, anywhere.

Describe your creative process.

I was Karina Dresses’ first customer. What I mean by that is that I wanted an easy dress that fit well and was not fussy, something I could throw on easily in the morning through the evening. I wanted classic prints that would last for a long time. That’s the New Englander in me—practical. That being said, when creating new styles and prints, we always go back to this one question: “What does our customer want?”

What is your favorite thing about being a designer and running your own business?

Being able to do what I love. It doesn’t feel like work, and I’m grateful for that!

Who are your customers? We LOVE that the models in your advertising campaigns are your actual customers!

Our customers are women of all ages and sizes. Remember the days when you had a chair in your bedroom filled with “try-ons” for the day and were rejected due to “not just right”? Those days are over! Oprah featured us in her magazine as “a time saver.” We’re all so busy! Our dresses allow all women to throw on a dress and feel great. Our customers include teachers, doctors, professionals, moms, grandmoms, world travelers – you name it! We are very proud to say that the majority of the women you see on our site are actual customers who love dresses. One of my favorite things is when a model/customer tells us they got recognized by a stranger for being on our website!

You also involve your customers and fans in some of your decision-making, such as pattern names. Tell us about how that evolved.

So much of how I built our company and brand was by listening to women. It seemed like a natural progression to include them in decisions like naming a new print or having them weigh in on what styles they would like to see us make.

Tell us about your collaborations with fabric designers.

These collaborations are fairly new to us. We reach out to like-minded designers, and it’s been great fun using their designs on our dresses. To name a few, there are Jen Hewett, Cecilia Mok, Lizzie Clark and Amy MacCready.

What is one question you’re constantly asked or the biggest misconception about your work?

I wouldn’t say I am asked this constantly, but it has been multiple times: “Are you going to make men’s suits?” The answer is still no.

What did you do before Karina Dresses?

I grew up in a small Massachusetts town, and my mom taught me how to sew. As an adult, I moved to Los Angeles and received a job offer to run production for a small clothing company in Bali, Indonesia. After that, I worked in the corporate fashion world in NYC and at small theater sewing jobs. As I was building my company, I worked at a coffee shop and various restaurant jobs.

What are you working on now that you’re excited about?

We have a new collection every month! Yes, every month! That includes new prints and styles. We do have some new styles, Dahlia and Nina, which I’m excited about. We are also developing a line of dresses for girls that will be out later this year.

How do you market your business, and how do your clients find you?

In the beginning, it was all word of mouth. We also had several retail shops that introduced our dresses to many, many women. Eventually, we turned to digital marketing and got into Facebook advertising pretty early on. Since we have been in business since 2008, we have a very large email list and our newsletters reach thousands of customers every week.

What about the Hudson Valley makes it unique to live + work here?

It is definitely easier to work in the Hudson Valley vs. Brooklyn. There is more space, ease of getting around, and a slower pace. Our environment has such an impact on our daily lives. Being in nature is important to me to recharge. Nature is abundant here, along with a large creative community.

What impact does your business have on your community?

During COVID, we coordinated sewers in the Hudson Valley to sew masks. We cut and packaged the kits from our shop so sewers could pick them up and drop them off safely. They were sent to hospitals, senior care facilities and local businesses. We made and distributed over 10,000. We currently have seven local employees and have also worked with SUNY Ulster’s internship programs. Two of those employees went on to start their own businesses, and another came to work with us.

What local businesses do you rely on to be successful?

USPS: We ship 2nd-day air for our online business. We love our mail carrier, Jay!

I know this is like naming your favorite child, but what is your best-selling dress, or dare we ask YOUR favorite dress?

The best-selling dresses now are Cecelia and Nora. In previous years, it was Audrey and Megan. My favorite used to be Nora, but presently, it is Kate.

Tell us something about yourself that people might be surprised to know.

I took a break from fashion and did volunteer work in India at Mother Theresa’s in Calcutta caring for the dying and destitute. I also worked with the School for the Little Stars, an organization that helps give street children a safe place, education and trade. I love animals, have fostered children, volunteered in soup kitchens and gardens, and love to cook. Even though I am a homebody, I am a world traveler.

What would be your dream Hudson Valley Staycation?

I love to putter, hang out with my pups and kitty, cook, watch movies, go to barn sales, and swim/hike.

What is your current state of mind?

Thoughtful.

Photos Courtesy of Karina Dresses

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