Constanza Ontaneda is the designer and co-founder of C.S.O.R.K. (which stands for her full name Constanza Smita Ontaneda Rehman Khedker). She is half (East) Indian and half Peruvian. Born in New Delhi, she attended schools in Peru, Brazil, Romania, Peru again and finally, Deerfield, MA in the United States, graduating in 2004.
Before joining the Fiber Science & Apparel Design undergraduate program at Cornell University she decided to spend a gap year in Peru, her late father's country, to get to know it better by doing community service, traveling and studying. One course in Lima, the Influence of Peruvian Ethnic Design on Contemporary Fashion under Professor Olga Zaferson, was particularly influential in guiding her creative and manufacturing strategies. Her burning passion for social service and fashion design brought her into contact with some incredibly talented weavers, seamstresses, knitters and silversmiths all over Peru, all of whom had had to sacrifice their art to make a bare bones daily living doing any jobs available, mostly for under $1 per hour.
Constanza returned to the US after her life-changing gap year experience determined to dedicate her life and privileged education to helping artists like herself, first in Peru and then anywhere else in the world as soon as she had the wherewithal to do so.
In Massachusetts, one of Constanza's best friends is also her step-father, Dennis Longto. Longto is a dedicated biologist and environmentalist who acknowledged and shared Constanza's dream and recognized her dynamic potential to achieve it. Thus C.S.O.R.K was born as a concrete enterprise with three very clear-cut goals: Follow fair trade practices employing local workers and artisans, Produce top quality merchandise at the best possible price, Never to harm any species in the making of their products.
The artists and artisans in Peru who help to manufacture the products sold by C.S.O.R.K do not work "for" Constanza, they work WITH her. They feel respected, recognized and are well compensated. In an atmosphere of equality, laughter, talent and hope they flesh out Constanza's ideas and designs, giving her the gift of their expert advice, experience and workmanship in exchange for the opportunity she has created for their art form.
We started about a year and a half ago and I was just ending my freshman year at college. So I didn't even think about it. It was my stepfather who told me, I want to have a family business and you know, you have all the contacts in Peru, you design. So why don't we do this. And I said, no becau...(Full transcript available to logged in subscribers.).
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Constanza Ontaneda Discusses Desire To Create Fashion Company Without Use of Sweatshops Or Animal Products
Constanza Ontaneda States Her Company Creates Fair Trade Clothes That Are Also Stylish
Constanza Ontaneda Discusses Experience During Year Off And Decision On Cornell Major
Constanza Ontaneda States Importance of Getting An Education and Never Being Mediocre
Constanza Ontaneda Discusses Importance of Becoming Known as a Designer Before Opening Boutiques
