Check out Karla Roble’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karla Roble.

Karla, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was born and raised in the beautiful Island of Cebu, Philippines. I had the most amazing childhood! Care-free, laid back, and simple. It was perfect! And even though I spent a lot of time at the beach with family and friends, I spent most of my time dancing. I started dancing/performing when I was 5, I think, and didn’t stop until about five to seven years ago. I used to want to be a dancer/choreographer. Needless to say, I didn’t know much about Fashion Designing until I moved and enrolled at a college in California. I made my very first dress a couple of years after that. It was a high-low strapless evening gown made in 15 yards of two-toned Silk Shantung. Oh man, I spent all my savings buying all that fabric! Haha… But, I will never forget the day I saw that dress on a runway! It was during a Fashion Symposium held at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles where I had been chosen to represent my college and compete with 190 other city colleges in California! Unforgettable! Who would’ve thought a little island girl like me would even have had that kind of opportunity?! I have truly been fortunate and blessed. And I am very honored and humbled to say that I won 1st place in the Evening wear Category that year (2007) and the year after that. I knew then that I was meant to do this.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I have just always loved designing/creating evening dresses. And I have been fortunate enough to be doing exactly that at my job for almost five years now. But about three years ago I made my very first wedding dress for one of my closest friends, and I fell in love! I enjoy going through the creative process, exchanging ideas from the bride-to-be, getting to know her a little bit more and putting that into her dress! Because we can! The wedding day is one of (if not The) most important day of a woman’s life. It is meant to be special, and unique! And so is her dress! Creating a KR wedding dress is a very thoughtful collaborative process between me -the designer, and the bride. I use my skills and knowledge to realize, in the best way I know how my bride’s dream wedding dress that will flatter not only her physique but also her personality. And I have this small little secret… I create my dresses thinking “I want her future daughter/daughter-in-law (if she decides to have children) to want to wear it too in the future!” Crazy I know, but that inspires me to create high-quality pieces that can withstand the test of time. All the pieces are hand-made locally, and I hand-dye them myself with natural dyes if/when needed. I strive for my creations to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
I am still trying to figure this one out myself, too! Haha… But my advice would be to keep your day job. And try to find one that will enhance your knowledge and skills. Don’t be scared to put yourself out there, be in a room with people who know more than you. It’s truly, fascinating and a very good opportunity to learn from them. In the same way, share your talent. That’s the only way you can really hone it and understand your strengths and weaknesses. Be ready to work hard and take that extra hour/s in the morning or at night to work on your craft. Because you may not have the budget now, but you have TIME. You have time to add that extra bead work on a dress instead of spending extra $$ on a beaded fabric. Just make sure you get paid for the hours you put in, in the end… In most cases, you will have had spared your clients from spending more by doing the work yourself. It’s really about using your time wisely. Your efforts will pay off, your product will speak for itself.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I have only started to make time for my brand a couple years ago and made an Instagram account early this year. You can follow my journey at

@KR_by_karlaroble on Instagram
KR by Karla Roble on Facebook

You may support my work by telling your bride-to-be friends about my work and refer me to them. Follow and share my Instagram and also like my page on Facebook.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.karlaroble.com
• Phone: 7143948857
• Email: kmroble07@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kr_by_karlaroble/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KRbyKarlaRoble

Image Credit:
Geoffrey Rivers, Emily Magers, Nice Print Photography, Ed Lawrence Durano, and Francis Ralph Photography and @francisralphpotograpiya

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