Zoe Boggier ’23
ZB: Where are you doing your senior capstone project?
KW: I’m doing my senior capstone project with my cousin, Cara Benevenia. She is the founder of her own handbag brand (Cara Benevenia) and I am joining her marketing and social media team.
ZB: How did you come up with this idea? Was it something that you’ve had in the back of your mind all year?
KW: I have always admired Cara’s confidence and work ethic, especially as I watched her start her own business at just 25 years old. I knew immediately that I wanted to do my capstone with her because I wanted to experience firsthand all of the hard work she puts in each day, and, hopefully, be able to mirror her confidence and resilience in the process.
ZB: What does a typical day look like for you?
KW: For me, there is honestly no “typical day”- my schedule shifts on a daily basis. Sometimes, I attend marketing/social media meetings or Zooms with PR representatives from other fashion brands. Other times, I do more individual work, such as creating pitches and mood boards or researching hashtags and interacting with major influencers online.
ZB: What do you feel like you’ve already learned from this experience?
KW: Although I am not done with my capstone just yet, I have already learned that, from the outside, the way that Cara’s business runs may seem easy and seamless. However, there are hours and hours of work put into the making, advertising, and distributing process of each and every bag. Cara sticks to her values of creative integrity, quality materials, and ethical production by importing real Italian leather and handweaving the design of every bag herself. She also employs local immigrant artisans and celebrates their culture and their craftsmanship. These are incredible feats to tackle in today’s cutthroat fashion industry, and I now understand how difficult it is to not only keep a small business afloat, but make it thrive.