Photo by Erik Kellar
A native of Venezuela, Carla Delgado Grippa is a single mom with two sons and impeccable style. Her breezy, natural, flawless sensibility has propelled her onto the Neapolitan fashion scene in the short time since she’s been a part of Why Style, a local fashion company. Carla and Why Style founder Sarah Lamont style men and women of all shapes and sizes, putting together interesting and appropriate looks for a variety of occasions. Additionally, they style and direct business and publication photo shoots.
I had the opportunity to learn more about Carla’s story of immigrating to America as well as her perspective on the current political climate in Venezuela. I also gained an intimate understanding of what she brings to her clients. Carla came to my home and entered into my closet madness, deftly throwing around pieces, praising my taste for high-quality items, yet challenging me to opt for smaller clothing. Oversized shirts, dresses, and bottoms make hourglass women like me look bigger as they disguise curves – my distorted view of myself revealed itself almost immediately during what Why Style markets as a “closet clean out.” Our interview turned into a therapy session that ended with empowering words of encouragement.
What was it like growing up in Venezuela? Caracas was a relatively dangerous place while I was growing up. I couldn’t ride my bike to school, and there was hunger. But there was still possibility and opportunity. My whole family was there, my friends were there, and it was what I knew.
What is life like currently in Venezuela? My parents and my brother still live there, and I am scared [for them] every day. I try not to be consumed by it. All the bad things that happened during my childhood are still happening, but on a greater, magnified scale: violence by way of hunger and skewed ways of justifying behavior. People are so hungry and behaviors are so violent. Sacred places have stayed sacred, and there’s a magic in Venezuela in spite of hunger and violence. We can always find the silver lining in everything, and we can always laugh. The Venezuelan people – my parents included – get used to the fear, the misery, and the propaganda in the government, and then it continues to get worse.
I want my fellow Americans to know that what is going on in Venezuela is not socialism – it is tyranny. Infrastructure continues to disintegrate, and the economic collapse has choked everyone out of possibilities. People are dying of hunger, there is no income, and the worst is happening. We’re beyond the political conversation now. It’s a humanitarian crisis. Twenty-five million people are at risk of dying of hunger.
Tell us the story of why and how you came to America. In 1998, Hugo Chavez took the presidency. Before that, he had tried to kill the current president and assume power. He got caught. Another president came, and that president pardoned Chavez. He became a kind of martyr, proclaiming his representation of the people.
At the end of 1999, Chavez called a referendum to amend the constitution giving him complete control to continue amending the constitution. On the day before the election, there was a massive tragedy – a mudslide during which 100,000 people were buried. Nobody cared about the elections, but Chavez didn’t call them off. He amended the constitution, and it was the beginning of the end. He could continue to amend the constitution, and nobody stopped him.
So, in 2000, I moved to the United States on a student visa to attend Georgia State’s graduate school. When I graduated in 2002,
I got a great job working for CNN, and then Disney, and was able to stay in the United States.
Tell us about your family. I married Keith in 2004. I got my green card after three years of marriage. We moved to Naples in 2006. My son, Liam, is 13, and Lucas is 11. Though Keith and I divorced when our boys were younger, we have a great relationship and co-parent successfully.
There’s no motherhood manual, but from the time I can remember, I have always wanted to be a mom. None of the frustrations that accompany motherhood have been wasted time. And, I’m so grateful to be Liam and Lucas’ mom!
How did your passion for clothing and fashion develop? My grandmother was a seamstress, and we spent a lot of time sewing together and creating pieces. We bought fashion magazines as often as they came out, and my grandfather had a store that sold fabric, notions, and everything you needed to make clothing. That was our pastime. We made Versace and Chanel replicas, and they were pretty accurate. It was so much fun to try to get as close as we could. I love getting dressed. It comes naturally, and I love to feel put together. I don’t have every aspect of my life under control. Clothes make sense to me, because it is an area of my life that only impacts me. I’m not going to ruin anyone’s day by my outfit.
Tell us about Why Style. What is your role? I joined Why Style in September 2017. Sarah Lamont started Why Style in 2015 as a personal stylist. At first I was going to partner as another stylist under the Why Style umbrella, but we back-tracked that decision, and I started to pour into growing the business from another angle. I beefed up our Instagram and our website and began a film and photo-shoot division. I style magazine cover shoots, fashion spreads, and commercial shoots for advertising agencies and private photo-graphers. Essentially, I put together a message through the clothing.
What did it mean to you to start something new in 2017? I’ve gone through many restarts. After my divorce from my second husband, I went through a full reset. From the outside looking in, I restarted my life when I joined Sarah and Why Style. But in reality, it was a lot more than that; Why Style was a source of healing and salvation. I needed to produce things; I needed to show up for something else besides sadness. I had so much determination because I was in the dumpster. I needed to get up, chop wood, and carry water – so to speak. I can’t imagine not having this business. I loved and cherished everything about being a stay-at-home mom. But, as my sons have grown older, I started thinking: ‘Where is my brain, and what can I do with my life?’ My boys are not my end all, be all. I think I can have a better relationship with them because of that.
Do you ever feel like a therapist when you’re working with clients? I know the potential of selecting clothing is nerve-wracking. We all have aspects of our lives that we’re confident in, and others that we’re really insecure about. Shopping is not a joyful experience for most women – I realized that working at Nordstrom. In working with clients, I realized that my time with them wasn’t about making the sale. It became about providing confidence.
We all look different, but we all have the same struggle. At the end of the day, what Sarah and I do goes beyond buying clothes. It goes beyond getting people on trend. Our goal is to work ourselves out of a job by providing people with the confidence to make clothing decisions on their own.
What do you love about being a mom in this new season of your life? My inspiration is my kids. They inspire me to find ways to regenerate myself. If they hadn’t have come into my life, I wouldn’t be where I am now.