Charlot doing a fitting in her Brooklyn studio, with plus-size Ford Model Leah.

Our Business

At HIMANE we design and produce innovative, quality, one-of-a-king clothing which is made from hand-picked, locally-sourced, recycled clothing, donated fabrics, and broken umbrellas.

We aim to exceed peoples’ expectations of what recycled clothing can be by creating garments which don’t look obviously recycled and which are directional yet wearable. By using old clothes, vintage fabrics, buttons, trim and lace, broken umbrellas, recycled materials we are not adding to the already gigantic amount of waste in the world today but instead, are "Upcycling" these forgotten treasures into one of a kind collectibles.

We are providing a creative and sustainable solution for waste reduction but also minimizing energy use and the damage to the environment caused by the production of new clothing.

Instead of "Reworking" existing pieces, we design one-of-a-kind for production using our specialist knowledge in the deconstruction and reconstruction of garments. With our sustainable sourcing and production ability, we are able to create a limitless amount of new clothing from old and will inherently always remain unique.

Who We Are

The designer, pattern-maker and business owner Catherine Edouard Charlot emigrated to the United States in February 1994. She studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City to complement her degree from Haiti's Verona Alta Costura School of Fashion and Accessories Design. In 2002, Charlot started a home-based business, producing custom-designed wedding dresses and medical scrubs, in addition to freelancing pattern and sample making services to various designers and boutiques.

At HIMANE, we only work with the best professional contractors in the fashion industry. Many of them have years of experience in different countries, and are well acquainted with a variety of design methods and techniques. Some of our sample makers and tailors have worked for Marc Jacobs, GAP, MACY'S, and many other designers.

In addition to English, we also speak French and Spanish.