carolxott – Creating as a Process of Constant Adaptation and Trusting Your Intuition

We met Cärol on a sunny spring day at her studio in the Tondi district. From the moment we stepped through the door, she greeted us warmly. She was approachable, energetic and somehow calm at the same time. Cärol is something of a jack-of-all-trades: alongside running her own brand, she is completing her master’s degree at the Estonian Academy of Arts, works there as a visiting lecturer and serves as a fashion editor for Säde magazine.

The brand carolxott, founded by Cärol Ott, emerged through a natural progression of events and fortunate coincidences. Her bachelor’s collection at the Estonian Academy of Arts, inspired by life on Prangli Island, brought her her first major recognition. In 2018, she won the grand prize at the Estonian Fashion Festival, which included an opportunity to participate in the International Young Designers Contest in Ukraine – one of Europe’s largest competitions for emerging fashion designers. With her collection “KÕIK ON TROIS!” (“Everything Is Trois!”), she also won the competition’s top award. “One thing led to another,” she says, reflecting on the experience. “I thought that if this topic resonates with people, maybe I should keep exploring it.”

A personal connection to Prangli played a significant role in shaping the brand. “My parents moved there when I was 14 and I spent a lot of time on the island. I was surrounded by nature and local people during school breaks and weekends and I also worked there during the summers,” she recalls. It was there that the aesthetic and sensibility that would later define both her graduation project and subsequent creative work first took root.

Today, running a fashion brand involves much more than designing. Although Cärol works mostly alone in her studio, the range of roles she takes on daily is extensive. “It’s like having ten jobs in one – you’re a photographer, you manage social media, handle production, run the business, do the accounting, carry inventory around… and then you design,” she lists. “Designing is actually the smallest part of it. Maybe ten percent,” she laughs.

She sews coats and smaller items herself, while larger production runs are outsourced. Nevertheless, creative control and a large portion of the process remain in her hands. All production takes place in Estonia, a conscious choice that comes with a time-consuming workflow.

“I dye a lot of fabrics myself,” she explains. “That means before production, I might cut fifty meters of fabric into shirt-sized pieces and hand-dye every single one. Hand-dyeing fifty meters of fabric is not exactly fun,” she says with a laugh. Yet this slow and meticulous approach is what gives each piece its character. The same philosophy extends to sustainability: “I collect all fabric scraps and take them to Prangli, where they’re woven into rugs. It’s a lovely community project.”

According to Cärol, inspiration never comes from just one source. “A lot of it comes from nature – colour combinations and patterns,” she says. At the same time, she is fascinated by observing people: “One of my favourite things is sitting somewhere crowded and watching what people wear, especially abroad. People are much more willing to experiment.”

Ideas, however, often arrive at the least convenient moments. “I’ll go to bed and then can’t fall asleep because I start thinking… and suddenly a good idea appears,” she says. “But I’ve lost ideas too. I tell myself, ‘Remember this, remember this!’ and then I wake up in the morning and can’t recall a thing,” she sighs and laughs.

Her work is also shaped by very specific memories. For example, her blue patterned coats trace back to a childhood memory of crossing a frozen sea with her father to Aksi Island. “We rode an old Jawa motorcycle. I was sitting in the sidecar, my dad was driving and our dog was running alongside us,” she recalls. “There were icebergs everywhere and that mixture of blue and white. It was incredible.” These moments do not translate into literal stories within her designs but rather emerge as moods and colour palettes.

Often, though, the creative process begins more practically. “I start by thinking that I need a certain product – whether it’s a coat or a dress,” she explains. “But very often inspiration also comes from materials. I love collecting fabric leftovers and as soon as I get them, I start seeing what they could become.” The time required to develop a product varies greatly. “If it starts completely from scratch, it really depends,” she says. “Some things take weeks. And even then you keep making adjustments afterwards… it’s a fairly endless process.”

Over time, Cärol’s visual language has become clearly recognizable. “Very colourful, with oversized silhouettes,” she says. The oversized cuts are not only an aesthetic choice but also a practical one. “I don’t produce large quantities, so larger shapes allow different people to wear the same pieces.” Among materials, she highlights heavyweight cotton, denim, wool, and leather. “Leather has definitely become one of the most recognizable elements,” she adds.

The brand’s distinctive visual identity has also developed organically. “I don’t know exactly how it happened – it just did,” she says. At the same time, she admits that finding time for it can be difficult. “I enjoy working on it, but I simply don’t have enough time. My last post was in December… there’s just so much happening all the time.” Her interest in photography dates back to childhood. “I used to stage fashion photoshoots with Barbie dolls, placing them in flower beds and posing them,” she says with a laugh.

Although much of her work is solitary, she misses the daily interaction that comes with a larger team. “I’m really sad that I work alone in this studio,” she says. “When you meet other designers, you realize everyone is dealing with the same problems.” That realization brings comfort. “Sometimes it feels like you’re the only one struggling, but you’re not.” Cärol describes her workdays as intense and unpredictable. “By evening, it feels like I’ve lived five days in one,” she says. “You’re constantly navigating and trying to stay afloat.” According to her, the biggest challenge is not designing but being an entrepreneur. “Everything is on fire all the time and you’re trying to function in the middle of it.”

The past few years have only intensified that feeling. “There hasn’t really been an easy period. There are always external challenges you have to adapt to.” Because of this, she considers her greatest achievement to be perseverance. “That I’m still here and still doing this,” she says. “First there was Covid, then the war, then the economic situation… and you think, if major brands are shutting down, what am I even doing here?” she laughs.

Still, her direction for the future is clear. “I’d like to continue expanding internationally,” she says. The Estonian market feels too small for her ambitions, especially when it comes to more experimental ideas. At the same time, she longs for a team. “I’d love to have someone alongside me to bounce ideas off. Meetings are actually really enjoyable.”

For young designers, her advice is straightforward: “You definitely need strong nerves.” And she adds: “If this is truly what you want to do, don’t give up. And build a community around yourself. Doing it alone is much harder.” For her, the work is a constant process of adaptation, effort and belief in what you do. “I keep promising myself that it’ll get easier soon,” she says with a smile. “But, well… it hasn’t happened yet,” Cärol laughs, before adding: “And yet I still haven’t thrown in the towel, so there must be something captivating about it after all.”