For one Bluff City-based designer, fashion has not only been a lifelong passion but also a tool for healing, which is why her upcoming collection for Spring 2027 is titled “Fashion With Purpose.”
Carolyn Corbett of the “Carol Corbett Collection” said that her love of fashion began in her mother’s closet:
“She was very fashionable. I used to get in there, and I used to pretend I was a model. She made all of her clothes and she would have us lay out the fabric on the floor, then lay out the patterns, cut them out and pick them up.”
From such humble beginnings, Corbett’s passion would take her to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, but afterwards she would struggle to remove herself from an abusive relationship, a tragedy that would ultimately inspire the collection she will be releasing next year.
“The name of my collection is ‘Fashion with Purpose.’ And my purpose is to bring somebody out of their destruction,” Corbett said. “Think about being free. Because freedom will lead you to your destiny.”
Corbett’s work was recently featured during this year’s Fashion Week in New York, and she is hoping her story of survival from domestic abuse will inspire more than just somebody’s wardrobe.
The “Carol Corbett Collection” can be found in both Memphis and online here.
