About us
The Creator
Kalliopi is the daughter of an architect with a keen eye for balance and beauty and the granddaughter of a talented seamstress by the same name. Yarn was always in her blood, but it took her a good long while to break free from conventions, and realize that being a lawyer wasn’t her calling.
THE brand
Karima was originally founded in 2018 to explore the possibilities of yarn and create handmade works of art inspired by the Greek history and tradition. Ever since, each Karima piece tells a unique story of transformation and defiance that empowers women to be themselves.
Karima started out as a personal project. Kalliopi’s first collection, comprising of heavy armor like pieces, was created to ground and empower women. Subsequent collections draw on narratives of metamorphosis and individuality.
Kalliopi’s work came to the public eye almost immediately and was showcased by important stylists. Currently, Karima pieces are distributed and sold in selected high end boutiques across Europe.
The Name
The name Karima was created as an abbreviation of the names of Kalliopi’s three children, and Karima is now her fourth. In Arabic, Karim means generous and noble, qualities inherent in Kalliopi’s work.
The making of
The process of creating each Karima piece is intuitive. There is no pattern and the design is first envisioned in the mind of the creator and subsequently reproduced on the doll. Nevertheless, it requires absolute precision. Each piece must be carefully balanced, following the lines of the female anatomy, so as to ground the woman who is wearing it. It is a living canvas of horizontal and vertical lines.