From immigrating to New York City in pursuit of an artistic career more than 20 years ago, to landing her own Vogue Italia cover and a Warhol Foundation partnership, Carolina Sarria’s rise to prominence has been fueled by an uncompromising commitment to her vision. 

The Colombian artist and designer describes her process as a balance of contradictions, where opposite qualities meet and mix. Her collections often start with her handmade art, but she also welcomes technology with open arms. Sarria’s eponymous label is highly personal, drawing from her own interests and artistic whims, but she also has a trusted team to tailor her ideas. She appreciates the weight of tradition, but ultimately believes in the necessity of subversion.

“My mindset is a bit punk, so there’s no such thing as a ‘basic’ material for me, just as there is no such thing as a ‘precious’ material,” she shared with Hypebeast during a visit to her studio. “Nothing is sacred.” Like her collage approach to design, she has gathered diverse inspiration from NYC’s artistic community, historical countercultures, and themes of modern excess. Her latest FW26 collection, “Poker Face,” is no exception, featuring everything from gambling motifs to poker pieces and origami dollar bills. 

In conversation with Hypebeast, Sarria expanded on her dynamic creative practice and opened up about her core values as a “nonconformist” designer. 

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How do you define yourself as an artist, and what does your initial creative process look like?

I consider myself a multidisciplinary artist. I don’t really start thinking about the garment; I start thinking about art. I also go around to collect a lot of images and found items. That’s probably one of the most fun things for me to do. 

Once I have the idea, I start gathering things together and putting them on the walls. I love the juxtaposition of things. What excites me the most is the contradiction — it always speaks. I always want to see a surprise, so I start adding together, manipulating, and adding more until I create a mixed media piece.

What inspired your new collection, “Poker Face,” and how does it relate to your style?

My mindset is a bit punk, so there’s no such thing as a “basic” material for me, just as there is no such thing as a “precious” material. Nothing is sacred. In my mood board for “Poker Face,” I’m playing with real U.S. currency. I make them into origami symbols and incorporate them into the collection. You’ll see poker chips, poker cards, and spikes.

For this collection, I had a time in my life that was very decadent, messy, and indulgent. The excesses of Las Vegas, the long nights that are an outlet for many people — I took all that and froze the moment in time, the feeling. 

All the pieces will have this [AR] tag, and you’ll be able to trigger the tag with a jackpot game. If you hit the jackpot in one of your items, you’ll get another item for free — anyone you want. I made it very dynamic. I wanted to make collecting part of the clothing, that you can actually take your object and have it rise as a part of a memory. 

“My mindset is a bit punk, so there’s no such thing as a “basic” material for me, just as there is no such thing as a “precious” material. Nothing is sacred.

You often use trench coats in your collections. Why that specific garment?

Trench coats are so closely tied to tradition, not just in clothing, but a traditional lifestyle. To me, that’s the perfect canvas. I take the art and apply it to the trench coats as a way of challenging societal expectations and turning them on their head. One of the first things that inspired me about a trench is how classic and timeless it feels. It’s one of the oldest traditional silhouettes to exist, and that’s what is so meaningful.

Who is the client you have in mind when you are designing?

I dress musicians, rappers, rockers — the young generation — but I think I really design for the man who likes to take his alter ego out for a stroll, even if he’s just going to the deli and coming back.

Can you tell us about your collaboration with the Warhol Foundation?

After the collaboration, I met the president of the foundation. They told me that my collaboration was one of the favorites of the foundation. We became really good friends, and he’s now one of my best friends.

That was a very meaningful collaboration for me. I had that collaboration for about two and a half years. They gave me real Andy Warhol images, and I restored them, which was very exciting for me. I did mixed media on them, adding colors, textures, and burning them. They became collages and then clothing.

As a creative person, you always need a powerful team and people who believe in what you do. It’s like the mixed media situation where it all makes a composition and goes together.

How do you know when you’re done?

I never know. I have people who come and edit me; someone to come in here and say, “This is when we stop.” They create the edited edition, taking 50 pieces and bringing them down to 22, because otherwise, I’ll never stop.

As a creative person, you always need a powerful team and people who believe in what you do. It’s like the mixed media situation where it all makes a composition and goes together. That’s when it’s successful. It is not just because of me; it’s because of my team and the people that work with me, too.

You also have a collection inspired by the Yakuza. What drew you to that theme?

Tattoos are something that brands you forever, that people have on their bodies forever. When I was investigating, I found that they are much more than just tattoos. They have meaning — strength, loyalty, identity. What really interested me was that they hide them and wear them under the clothing. I thought, what if I give them a life outside? So that’s what I did, enabling them to wear these tattoos and symbols. 

I love tattoos. I don’t have any tattoos, but I would love to wear something that feels like a tattoo or put stickers on my body and then take them off because I’m always constantly changing my mind.

I believe in staying true to what you feel and to self-expression. I will not be quiet. I will always speak and express myself in any layer, form, or tool.

What is a typical day like in the studio for you?

It can be me making a moodboard with all of my materials, designing a whole collection, or managing everybody on my phone and computer all day. It gets very hectic when I’m designing. Sometimes I have this state of mind — very hyper-focused for many days, weeks, months.

I also have the team come here. Some days it’s the tech team, sometimes people are here airbrushing, doing embroideries, beading, and making samples. I like to do the samples here, like the collage for the trench coat. We do a lot of these things here — patches combined from the casino newspaper and rock and roll. It’s very important to continue the craftsmanship.

We use a lot of tools, from flame guns to an airbrush and a sewing machine. A tool that I also love to use is AI. It helps me catch up with life. I use it to put my designs on models to see the styling and the vision. I like that I’m able to bring the virtual world and then go back to the real world.

Finally, what would you say is your “North Star” as an artist?

I’m very attracted to the opposite, the contradiction, and the juxtaposition of things — the nonconformist and counterculture. Like the Yakuza, they have their own beliefs and symbolism. They are so true to what they believe and their identity. That’s powerful. 

I’m a nonconformist, and I believe in peace and love, in art, in design, and in community. I believe in staying true to what you feel and to self-expression. I will not be quiet. I will always speak and express myself in any layer, form, or tool. My North Star could be self-expression. I want to say what the fuck I want to. It could cost my life, but this is who I am and what I have to say.