Page 13 - Paradise City Guide Spring 2018

Born in Turkey, Selma Karaca earned a fine arts
degree in painting in her native country. She began
a successful hat company, designing and producing
millinery collections for luxury clothing stores in
Istanbul and Europe. In 1999, she moved to New
York to create her own clothing line. She now lives
in Beacon, NY. Karaca has fused her passion for art
and design with her clothing, creating contemporary
fashion that is comfortable and wearable. The spiral dress is her signature
design, incorporating one long piece of stretch cotton fabric to spiral around
the body. Bias ribbon fabrics create “whirling” layers of dimension. “I use
any material that can be made into ribbon forms,” writes Karaca. “The spiral
gives me a continuously unending direction in between time and space.
I create art in wearable pieces that provide both stillness and fluidity.”
Selected by FORWARD’s style council as a key member and representative
of New York’s creative industry, she also won an Art for Progress contest
in the “Fashion Designer” category and was an international finalist in the
“Avant-Garde” category of the Gen Art Styles Fashion and Awards Show.
Karaca is featured on the cover of this issue of the Paradise City Guide and
will participate in both spring shows for the first time.
“Sheer French Lace Turquoise Dress with Slip Underdress”. Dress is made of one long
fabric ribbon that spirals around the body; no side seams, buttons or zipper.

Robin Sulkes says, “I think of my work as small
sculptures that are pleasing to the eye and comfortable
to wear and touch.” At the University of Wisconsin,
she experimented with everything from printmaking
to large sculptural installations. Although she received
her MFA in sculpture at the San Francisco Art Institute,
she realized she preferred working on a more intimate
scale. Sulkes began carving tiny wax sculptures, casting
them into silver, and using these components as a starting point for jewelry
pieces. From that point on, a jeweler was born. All of her jewelry comes to
life in her Brooklyn, NY studio. Living in the Big Apple has turned her into
an avid walker, whether along city streets or on travels in the countryside.
During her walks, she discovers the inspirations for her jewelry - an unusual
rock, a gossamer wing left behind by a butterfly or a textured wall. All find
their way into her creations. Sulkes usually works with a combination of
gemstones, silver, and gold. She often darkens the silver to provide a pleasing
contrast with the warmth of 18 and 22 karat gold. She creates many one-
of-a-kind pieces and loves collaborating with clients on commissions that
combine her skills and ideas with a customer’s special requests. She makes
her Paradise City debut in May at the Northampton show.
“Torch Earrings”, handcrafted with oxidized sterling silver,18K gold, 22K gold, yellow
sapphires, diamonds and citrines.

call 800.511.9725 for more information | 13