The supermodel has teamed up with designer Carolina Kleinman for the limited-edition, ancestry-inspired "Mamacita" collection.

For Carolina Kleinman, everything is about intention. And when it came to marking the 20th anniversary of her namesake label, Carolina K, it was important for the Argentine-born designer to honor the core values of her brand, rooted in ancestry, craftsmanship, and sustainability. She&rsquo;s done just that with the limited-edition, motherhood-inspired &ldquo;Mamacita&rdquo; collection, a collaborative effort with Helena Christensen that launches today on <a href="http://carolinak.com">carolinak.com</a>.&nbsp;
The pair met years ago at the Carolina K store in Miami&rsquo;s Faena Hotel: The Peruvian-Danish supermodel and photographer remembers being immediately drawn to Kleinman&rsquo;s use of different fabrics, patterns, and colors, as well as her energy. &ldquo;Carolina is a beautiful spirit, and we vibed from the moment we met,&rdquo; Christensen tells L&rsquo;OFFICIEL. The designer, for her part, recalls being taken with Christensen&rsquo;s effortless style, but when she learned about her Peruvian roots and appreciation for handmade designs, their true connection formed. &ldquo;We both share a love for vintage, for storytelling through clothing, and for preserving artisanal techniques, so it felt meaningful to bring those worlds together,&rdquo; says Kleinman. &ldquo;At this point in my journey, I only want to create things with purpose.&rdquo;

Carolina Kleinman on the set of the Carolina K x Helena Christensen Mamacita Capsule Collection shoot. Courtesy of Carolina K.

Helena Christensen on the set of the Carolina K x Helena Christensen Mamacita Capsule Collection shoot. Courtesy of Carolina K.

Slowly crafted with conscious materials, the Mamacita collection embodies that very notion, focusing on the duo&rsquo;s shared Latin-American heritage. &ldquo;I believe it&rsquo;s essential to honor our ancestry, because it&rsquo;s such a fundamental part of who we are,&rdquo; Kleinman tells L&rsquo;OFFICIEL. &ldquo;I grew up traveling with my mother, who was a designer herself, and she has always been one of my greatest inspirations in creating my own brand; my grandmother also taught me so much about creativity, resilience, and tradition. When Helena and I started talking about this collaboration, she mentioned wanting to bring her mother, Elsa, to Peru to explore their roots together, and it immediately resonated with me, as I had recently launched a collection called Diana in honor of my own mother. So the idea of creating something that celebrated our maternal lineages felt very meaningful.&rdquo;
When they started out, the pair created a mood board filled with old photographs from the 1970s, including some images of Kleinman&rsquo;s mother as well as a photo shoot that Christensen had done in the Sacred Valley of Cusco. &ldquo;It mattered deeply to me that Mamacita be made in Peru, by the hands of artisans whose roots and traditions are the very soul of the pieces,&rdquo; says Kleinman, who was recently appointed to the role of Mountain Partner for Fashion for Fragile Ecosystems with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in Peru. &ldquo;From the very beginning, we also knew that we wanted to capture photos of the pieces in the same places where their inspiration was born.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Helena Christensen for Carolina K's "Mamacita" Collection. Courtesy of Carolina K.

The desire to shoot on location was even more personal for Christensen, who modeled the designs for the campaign. &ldquo;I am equally proud of being Danish and Peruvian, and I grew up with the culture and history of both countries,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;ve wanted to go back to Peru with my mother for a long time, because her 96-year-old aunt is still with us and I wanted to bring the two of them together.&rdquo; Christensen, her mother, Elsa, and Kleinman ultimately did travel to Lima, where they stayed together in the Barranco neighborhood. 
&ldquo;We spent days wandering through antique stores, discovering spoon pins, vintage hats, and little treasures that found their way into the story of the collection,&rdquo; says Kleinman, who fondly remembers the day of the shoot. &ldquo;We all piled into a van and went to the center of Lima; Helena insisted on carrying one of the vintage suitcases we brought because she wanted to get some exercise, and I ended up picking up a guitar at the monastery where we were shooting and improvising songs between takes.&rdquo; Being around Christensen and her mother was a treat in itself. &ldquo;I hadn&rsquo;t met Elsa before, and she completely captivated me,&rdquo; says Kleinman. &ldquo;Watching her and Helena together at breakfast, sharing stories and laughter, was so touching. On our last day, the three of us found ourselves in one room, lying on a bed, talking about the simple things in life. That moment really stayed with me. Sometimes it&rsquo;s those small, genuine moments that create bonds you know will last a lifetime.&rdquo;

From left: Elsa Christensen, Helena Christensen, and Carolina Kleinman in Peru. Courtesy of Carolina K.

For Christensen, the trip to Lima was unforgettable. &ldquo;The fact that all of us ended up going made it extra personal and precious,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;The serenity and beauty of the old monastery where we shot was perfect. The faded colors, the stillness of the space, the secret garden all made our collection come alive in the most intimate way.&rdquo; The collection&rsquo;s offerings range from embroidered dresses and graphic knits to a dramatic embellished cape, Christensen&rsquo;s favorite of the bunch. &ldquo;Since the collection was created by both of us, there were already a lot of personal elements weaved into the pieces,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;Wearing them for the campaign also meant that my personality and spirit came through in the visuals. I loved wearing every single piece&mdash;seeing them come to life and feeling the fabric on my body was a wonderful experience.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Helena Christensen for Carolina K x Helena Christensen Mamacita Capsule Collection. Courtesy of Carolina K.

The handmade pieces, particularly the knits, are true to the DNA of the independent, female-founded brand that Kleinman started 20 years ago. &ldquo;Since the beginning, we&rsquo;ve pioneered collaborations with artisans in remote regions of Peru, working with natural, innovative materials,&rdquo; says the designer, who&rsquo;s traveled to the country four times this year (on her most recent trip, she visited local cooperatives to &ldquo;help artisans develop their raw materials and products so they can sell locally at fair prices, without having to depend on larger companies that often underpay them,&rdquo; she explains). &ldquo;I&rsquo;m proud that, after two decades, we&rsquo;ve remained true to our values, empowering communities across Latin America and beyond. As the brand continues to grow, we want to emphasize our mission to honor, protect, and celebrate these ancestral techniques so they can live on for generations to come. I want my legacy to be about preservation.&rdquo;
Kleinman lives by the same principles at home in Miami. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always taught my children to be mindful of where things come from&mdash;the clothes we wear, the objects we bring into our homes&mdash;and to honor the people and the process behind them,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;That awareness is something I want to pass down, both to my family and to future generations.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s a thread that&rsquo;s woven carefully through her collection with Christensen, too. &ldquo;With Mamacita, we wanted to pay tribute not only to our mothers but also to motherhood itself&mdash;to the resilience, strength, and beauty of women everywhere, especially the incredible weavers in Peru who are the providers in their communities,&rdquo; says Kleinman. &ldquo;They carry their families and traditions forward. I truly believe motherhood shouldn&rsquo;t be celebrated just one day a year, but every day.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s a sentiment that Christensen shares. &ldquo;Honoring and respecting your roots and bringing them with you throughout your life is fundamental to me,&rdquo; says the supermodel and mom of one. &ldquo;Mothers are divine in so many ways.&rdquo;

Helena Christensen and Carolina K Honor Maternal Lineage In "Extra Personal" New Capsule

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