We believe that every outfit you wear should be extraordinary and representative of your one-of-a-kind style—and that no matter where you’re headed, you can never be overdressed. You should feel empowered to step out of your comfort zone with the bold choice of Caroline Ann, while maintaining enough ease for wherever your (every)day takes you.
The Caroline Ann brand’s core values are rooted in paradox—whimsical practicality, approachable aspiration, humorous confidence, analytical creativity.
These juxtapositions come to life during each season as seen through the eyes of our founder and designer, Caroline. She merges seemingly oppositional ideas to create each unique piece, building a collection of wearable art that is truly a tangible fantasy.
Caroline Ruder’s philosophy of turning every day into an occasion has fueled her love of fashion since childhood, though she didn’t always know it would become her career. She was a marketing student at The University of Alabama when she realized that fashion was her calling. Caroline taught herself how to sew and completed her marketing degree, then she received her Masters in Fashion from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Caroline is a third-generation entrepreneur, so it was only natural for her to cultivate her own fashion brand. She is constantly inspired by the grassroots spirit of starting and managing a business, with Caroline Ann operations based in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Caroline is proud to have assembled a team of passionate people who are equally as committed to fostering Atlanta’s already-budding creative potential.
Caroline has shown various collections at Vancouver Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week. Her work has been featured in British Vogue (print and digital) and Forbes. She looks forward to helping women elevate their every day into an occasion.
Before she started the Caroline Ann brand, Caroline undertook a seminal project that would propel her fashion career. She was contracted by Georgia-Pacific, an Atlanta-based Fortune 100 company, to create a red carpet gown out of paper napkins for a Susan G. Komen fundraising gala.
Caroline used her marketing background to pitch her design and was soon hard at work. Crafting the dress took over 200 hours, utilizing over 1,200 Vanity Fair Napkins, 500 pearl beads, and over 100 sticks of hot glue. Caroline’s gown soon took on a life of its own and became known as simply The Napkin Dress.
Follow Carol Ann on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Elyse Archer is a founding team member and Personal Brand Strategist with Brand Builders Group whose insights have been featured in major media including Forbes and Inc. She is a keynote speaker and host of the podcast Instant Impact with Elyse Archer, where she shares best practices from top business leaders who have created extraordinary personal brands and world class networks.
Prior to joining the founding team of Brand Builders Group, Elyse served as a Partner in an 8-figure international sales coaching organization, where she helped sales professionals achieve their goals.
With a degree in Journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill and over 10 years’ experience in the digital marketing industry, Elyse leverages her background to help people position themselves as thought leaders in their space. Her client list includes New York Times bestselling authors, top 100 podcast hosts, and 8 figure entrepreneurs, as well as leaders who are earlier in their journey and committed to scaling their influence, impact and income.
Connect with Elyse on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Jarek James, head of Jamagine Media, LLC, has been a photographer/graphic designer for over 25 years and is now diving headfirst into filmmaking. A true cinema geek, he’s spent his whole life studying tv and film like it’s homework, with opportunities throughout the years to be a part of various short film projects both as an actor and work in production.
His hope is to broaden the film landscape telling stories that he’s always wanted to see in movies while representing Atlanta black filmmakers in the best ways possible.
