Meet Kara Fabella | Fashion Consultant, Wardrobe Stylist, & Ethical Fashion Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kara Fabella and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kara, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Every day since I decided to pursue my business has been a risk.

I never considered myself much of a risk taker when it came to my career path, but looking back on the last few years since I started working for myself, I realize now the courage it takes to reinvent oneself.

I’ve had no formal training as a wardrobe stylist and personal style consultant, and yet through the intersectional experiences I’ve had in product development, retail, connections with BIPoC brands, & ethical fashion advocacy, I’ve managed to find gigs and clients that truly align with my passion for merging sustainability and ethics with fashion.

I believe our relationship with taking risks is different from person to person.

For me, it’s the fine balance of taking those calculated risks and trusting one’s instincts—whether it’s cultivating connections that align with your dreams in whatever industry you’re in to knowing when to say no to an opportunity with a client.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Everything that I do intersects with one another through the lens of sustainability in fashion.

As a personal stylist, I work with my clients to curate an intentional wardrobe through closet audits, shopping secondhand, and encouraging them to reimagine a piece they would otherwise not breathe new life into through a personalized style deck & local resource guide.

As a wardrobe stylist, I aim to source for every gig mainly secondhand or from local and independent brands who value every person from top to bottom in their supply chain.

As a community organizer for global non-profit, Remake, I aim to build connections with other local fashion lovers through organizing events—from fashion shows to thrift crawls to educational panels discussing garment worker rights, upcycling, & sustainable fashion design.

Staying true to your values within an industry that is inherently wasteful is hard. I’ve had to make some decisions from a financial standpoint working for brands/clients that don’t necessarily align all the time. But I make up for it by investing in events that give back to local creatives & brands and in the independent projects that I work on.

One big thing I’ve learned is that there is risk in reward and there’s value in trusting your gut. When one opportunity closes, it just means that there is something else that is more deserving of your time coming your way.

I once lost out on a really big client for a wardrobe styling gig, because they ultimately decided to go with someone else, (and this interview process happened during my honeymoon no less!). To say that it was disappointing is an understatement. But ultimately, so many incredibly aligned opportunities followed not too long after that.

I’m still learning how to put myself out there more, but another valuable bit that I know everyone can benefit from is really knowing and trusting the people around you. The last few years have taught me big lessons of who really wants you to succeed, and who is out there to exploit you or take you for every bit of creativity and originality you have.

There’s real power in trusting your creative and personal intuition.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The list of places I love in SF keeps growing so it’s hard to narrow it down into a short list!

Morning:
-an early hike around Sutro Baths & Lands End lookout trail followed by coffee and brunch at Andytown Coffee Roasters on La Playa & Outerlands in the Sunset.

Afternoon:
A local shopping excursion around the city
—ReLove Vintage on Polk Street (they also have an incredible 2-story location in Oakland that is a must see)
-Empress Vintage for 70’s/80’s reminiscent styling
-Freda Salvador on Fillmore street for the best leather / suede footwear.
-Fibers of Being for vintage housewares & foundational gender expansive styling curation
-quick drink & bite across the street at Horsefeather (low rider is my favorite cocktail)
-followed by another vintage spot, The Faight Collective in Lower Haight.

Evening:
This is very standard as a seasoned San Franciscan but we most often end up in the Mission District if we do go out. Have for years now!

-stop by Emotion Potion before dinner for the cutest, colorful mugs and selection of Stan ray vintage overdyed threads.

-around the corner from Emotion potion is my favorite southeast Asian/Pacific Islander fusion of flavors at Good Good Culture Club with an impeccable selection of cocktails and natural wine. Go right when they open, because they’re usually pretty packed early on.

-14th – 16th street between Guerrero & Valencia is a pretty easy go-to to end the night.
—> Bar Part Time for dancey tunes and wine
—> ABV for late night noms & drinks (octopus and fries never disappoints)
—> Zeitgeist for casual outdoor hangs and a decent selection of beer.

Additional recs:
-Holy Stitch to rework your old denim and shop their one-of-a-kind wearable pieces.
-abacus row for upscale jewelry and AAPI indie brand pop-ups
-black cat jazz supper club for a swanky date night
-Cavaña rooftop bar for Latin American flavors and an incredible view of the city

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the unwavering support of my partner, Craig. He’s the one who ultimately inspired me to go off on my own and pursue an unconventional career path as it’s what he has managed to do quite seamlessly for over 10 years now.

I also have to shout out all the directors so far that have entrusted me with their vision as a wardrobe stylist. My favorite environment is to be on set with a crew that all have each other’s backs—to be a visual storyteller through building looks for each character is honestly a dream come true. From a young age, I always knew I wanted to work in the film & fashion world, so it’s a full circle moment for me.

I absolutely also have to credit the Remake our World global non-profit org and the community behind it. They’ve blessed me with so many opportunities this year from my first live panel alongside them with KQED to creative directing and co-hosting an ethical fashion show. The policy and advocacy work that they do all over the US and beyond is incredible, and I’m happy that I get to represent them as a community organizer.

Website: https://www.theflippside.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theflippside/profilecard/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Image Credits
Lara Kaur
Vita Hewitt
Giovana Hurst
Alex Paulsen
June Bassard