Local Spotlight: CARLEEN

Kelsy, designer of local fashion brand CARLEEN, will be doing a shop takeover here at Burke from October 6th-10th, 2026, bringing her full Fall collection for you to shop! She also has a 5 Questions series she does with the shop owners of her stockists, and for this shop takeover we decided to each do a 5 questions interview with one another. Keep scrolling to learn a little more about Kelsy and be sure to shop with her in person during her takeover at Burke! 

Hi! My name is Kelsy and I run CARLEEN, a women's clothing brand made in LA using vintage and deadstock textiles. I live in a Cliff May Rancho with my husband and two kids. I was born and raised in Long Beach but spent many of my formative early adult years in New York before returning to California in 2017.

Carleen is my middle name, and it was passed on to me from my maternal grandmother, which gives it a special resonance. I wanted to name my company something personal, but not my full government name, and the slightly old-fashioned nature of the name CARLEEN also makes it feel timeless.

We use vintage and deadstock textiles because we love them. Re-used textiles have a patina, history, and nostalgia that just can't be replicated by newly-made fabrics. These textiles have always been a core part of what CARLEEN is, but we previously supplemented those fabrics with newly-produced ones. Recently looking back at the past ~13 years of the business and taking stock, it became clear to me that the re-use of textiles is the most important thing we do. It keeps our styles unique and limited in quantity, and makes us as sustainable as possible. Because it is the most unique thing about CARLEEN, and something we have been known for since we started in 2012, we decided to jettison the less exciting, less sustainable parts of the business and focus on what we love most as we move forward.

As a small business, I'm always trying to strike a balance between being adaptable, and staying steady. My first few seasons, I felt like I had to reinvent the wheel to keep buyers interested in each new collection. With time, I've gotten better at understanding the mix of novelty and returning favorites. My brand has weathered a few challenges (a worldwide pandemic, for one), and each time I've been forced to use a moment of instability for reflection, I've come to the conclusion that if we're going to continue, it has to be fun! Fun for us, and fun for our customers. You can get basics anywhere, that's not what people come to CARLEEN for. They come to us for novel pieces that pull at the heartstrings and make you feel great when you wear them. Looking forward, we're working on being more nimble than ever, and slowly moving away from the more traditional seasonal model, creating room for exciting new releases each month. 

Family brought me back! I absolutely loved living in New York, and I still miss it often, but I was ready to be within driving distance of my parents, siblings, and the Pacific Ocean again. 

1) Swim: I have a few friends I swim with in the bay once or twice a week and it's the best mental and physical reset anyone could ask for! My kids are also huge beach babies and we spend a lot of time there in the summer. 

2) The Long Beach Antique Market: I've been going since I was born, my mom used to take me in the stroller and now I take my kids to hunt for treasures too. It's where most of our vintage textiles come from, of course, but it's also where most of household furniture and artwork has come from, and my overflowing vintage sweatshirt collection, too. We get everything there. 

3) Baked goods: It's going to sound like you and I rehearsed this, but I am also a huge fan of everything at Colossus and so so excited about their new dine-in expansion. My family also adores Solis Bagels, and we try to make it to their weekly pop-ups a few times a month. I love the sourdough renaissance that's happening here.