Kaarem Santa Barbara Brings a Sweet Treat to Fashion

A treat in name and style itself, Kaarem Santa Barbara has created a space to be used as both a boutique but also to host events that bring together and uplift the Asian-American community. 

As a brand, Kaarem originally started in New York and Vietnam simultaneously through cofounders Kathy Minh Bach and Chuong Pham. The clothing style is deeply influenced by its roots in Vietnamese garment making, a practice that both Bach and Pham grew up around. The store’s name was inspired by the Vietnamese word kem, which means “ice cream.” To the cofounders, it was like a tribute to their families and ancestry. 

They wanted to celebrate traditional Vietnamese garment making but also create something that brings people together. To Bach, the most important part is “connecting it to stories and memories of our personal histories. It’s truly like that kind connection, that’s the most important to us, wherever that may be.”

The Santa Barbara store officially opened in December 2023. After moving to Santa Barbara three years ago, Bach worked with store cofounder and friend Trang Nguyen to open the space together as the first official brick-and-mortar store for Kaarem.

Tucked into Victoria Court in Downtown Santa Barbara, the store itself isn’t large, but it feels homey. Windows invite plenty of sunlight with tables displaying goods from both Kaarem and other artists. Hung on racks along the walls is the colorful yet pleasantly simple collection of clothing items. All of Kaarem’s clothing is made in-house in their production studio in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with all the steps from starting with cloth cutting to finishing with a blind hem stitch being done by hand. The preservation of traditional craft is what makes Kaarem’s design and production process so unique.

“We tend to avoid any sort of trends and try to stick to what we would want to wear and what we would want to wear throughout the years,” Bach said. They drew inspiration from Vietnamese culture and style of mix-and-match clothes that can be worn for different events, ranging from weddings to casual day-to-day wear. They wanted to create items that can be worn as a basic or as a centerpiece.

The entire Kaarem team is quite small, with a total of fewer than 20 people who make up the business, design, and production teams. Bach herself is part of the design team. 

“We design minimal clothing that’s meant to be timeless. Our clothing is simple,” she explained. “But when people wear it, they feel how the garment drapes on them.” She pulled out the Wind Chime Raised Collar Top from a nearby rack as an example, pointing out the different ways it could be styled for various occasions. 

Because their team is small, they’re able to maintain a zero-waste initiative. Since all the fabric is cut by hand, they reuse leftover fabrics to create accessories for other pieces, or even folded and sewn into origami that is also sold in stores. 

Before moving to Santa Barbara, Bach explained that Kaarem clothing had their office and showroom in New York. Their clothing was in boutiques in New York but also in pop-ups that they brought to California and Washington.

The branch in Vietnam is made up of the in-house production studio in Ho Chi Minh City, with their flagship store in Saigon. There, Pham manages both the boutique and the café upstairs, which often features the work of a partnering artist. That sort of community connection is what they’re also working to bring to Santa Barbara.

For Bach and Nguyen, Kaarem means more than just sharing clothing. The pair have continued to find ways to connect with community members. In addition to carrying their clothing collection, they feature items from BIPOC designers including shoes, accessories, jewelry, books, and apothecary. In one corner of the store is a single-origin Vietnamese pantry section, which features items such as chocolates, spices, and even fish sauce. Creating a space for connection and storytelling is one of their missions. 

“We would really like to start bringing in more local artists and food-makers,” Bach said. Since opening, they’ve hosted events including book talks, musical performances, and celebrations for holidays such as the Mid-Autumn Festival in September. 

As they continue navigating business in Santa Barbara, they’re all working to come up with new production designs and to continue opening up space for community engagement and connection. 

“Every design has an intention to it,” Bach said. “But I think the true spirit of commonality is that our customers who end up liking Kaarem, really appreciate the quality in the craft behind it.”

Kaarem’s retail store is located at 1221 State Street, Suite 14, inside Victoria Court. For more information about Kaarem’s clothing design, production, and available styles, visit kaarem.com.