A fashion stylist often does the work of a magician. Behind the scene, the stylist concocts a concept, gathers and processes all the necessary ingredients and then transforms an ordinary-looking person into someone fabulous with a magic touch. 

Celebrity fashion stylist Caren Delano has accomplished even more than that. The 41-year-old has not only styled some of the most famous top Indonesian celebrities and public figures but also metamorphosed and reinvented himself as a fashion director, guru, designer and fashionpreneur within the span of his career. 

“I believe I was born to be a fashionista,” Caren said in a special interview with The Jakarta Post in Senayan City, Jakarta, on Oct. 9. 

On that day, Caren launched his new fashion brand Faboo, which is short for the word “fabulous.” 

“As a fashion stylist, I make people look fabulous,” he said. “That’s my DNA. Now my fashion brand also carries my DNA of being bold and expressive.” 

Dreaming big: Celebrity fashion stylist Caren Delano, who is also a fashion designer, director and guru, launches his new brand, Faboo. (JP/Sylviana Hamdani) (JP/Sylviana Hamdani)

The family’s stylist

Caren has always had a strong fashion acumen. 

Born in Jakarta on Dec. 4, 1980, the eldest child in the family always loved styling his mom and little sister when they were going to parties. 

“I practically managed their wardrobe,” he said. “And I loved doing that. I loved telling them what to wear and how to complement their overall look.” 

After finishing high school, Caren studied fashion at LPTB Susan Budihardjo (Susan Budihardjo Fashion School). 

“No one in my family led a career in fashion, but my parents had already seen my talents and trusted my decision,” Caren confided. 

As soon as Caren graduated from the one-year program at the fashion school, he set up a boutique in Tebet, South Jakarta, and launched his eponymous fashion label.

“But it soon became a story of failure,” he said with a laugh. 

Bewitched by the glamor of the fashion industry, the novice designer threw his money away by organizing glitzy shows and parties in some of Jakarta’s upscale establishments. 

“All that I cared about was getting famous,” he said. “I didn’t give much thought to marketing and selling my collections.” 

Without substantial sales, Caren’s first fashion brand languished. And in 2004, the young designer had to accept the bitter reality that his first fashion business had failed. 

“But I’ve always been a fashion person and didn’t want to leave the industry,” he said. 

Realizing that he lacked business skills, Caren decided to study Fashion Business Management at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, the United States. 

Caren worked as a waiter in a restaurant to support himself in the Big Apple. 

“On my way to work, I always passed by a Louis Vuitton boutique and saw this gorgeous wallet on the window display,” he said. “I swore to myself that I would buy it once I’ve had enough money.” 

Caren then worked harder and saved all the tips from the restaurant. And just a few days before Christmas, he proudly walked into the boutique and bought the wallet. 

Sales associates working at the boutique that day were touched seeing Caren’s thrill and excitement when holding the wallet he had always desired. 

“When I told them my story, they became so impressed that they invited me to their events,” he said. 

It was during these events that Caren met and became close with some of the city’s socialites. 

“They invited me to their house and met their family,” he said. “They also showed their wardrobe and asked me to style them for events.”

Besides styling for clients in New York, Caren also became a personal shopper for friends and clients in Indonesia who wanted to buy branded items from the city’s luxury boutiques. 

“New York has taught me a lot about life,” Caren said. “In the city, I learned to appreciate people, time and money and the dreams that have carried me so far.” 

Style-maker

In New York, Caren also watched (the reality TV show) The Rachel Zoe Project on TV and became inspired by the American celebrity stylist. 

“I said to myself, one day I’d be like her,” he said. “I’d style top celebrities and watch them walk on the red carpet.” 

As his father became seriously ill in 2011, Caren decided to return home. 

In Jakarta, he joined a high-profile wedding planner as a head stylist. His work got him in touch with Jakarta’s top celebrities and public figures. Caren also styled for the weddings of Indonesian actors Vino G. Bastian and Marsha Timothy in 2012 and Chelsea Olivia and Glenn Alinskie in 2015. 

Caren’s clientele has multiplied since then. The stylist has now handled several top Indonesian celebrities for their public appearances, including Agnez Mo, Krisdayanti, Nagita Slavina and Syahrini.

Several TV stations have appointed him as a host and fashion guru for their talk shows, modeling contests and singing competitions. 

“Fashion stylists are style-makers,” Caren said. “We stand right in the middle and work together with fashion designers, photographers and videographers to conjure a successful public image of celebrities.”

In 2018, a local gold jewelry company Untung Bersama Sejahtera (UBS Gold), appointed Caren as their brand ambassador. 

“Caren Delano’s main strength is networking,” Catur Limas, chief marketing officer of UBS Gold, said. “But he’s also a genuine person and good friends with many top celebrities in the country.” 

Walking in style: Singer and actor Devano Danendra showcases a casual look by Faboo during the launch of the brand in Senayan City, Jakarta, on Oct. 9. (Courtesy of Team Muara Bagdja) (Courtesy of Team Muara Bagdja/.)

Dreamer

Despite his good connections, Caren also experienced a hard time during the pandemic.

“I didn’t work for almost two years,” he said. 

Caren took this quiet time to think and plan for his following projects. As the pandemic abated, the stylist got the idea for his recent digital styling exhibition, Abracadabra. 

“I’d wanted to embrace and work with everybody again after the pandemic,” he said. 

For the exhibition, which ended on Oct. 16, Caren styled 188 Indonesian artists, athletes, businesspersons and government officials. The results were displayed on a gigantic pyramidical LED screen at the Senayan City shopping center. 

“What Caren did with all the artists and public figures was amazing,” Jaclyn Halim, leasing and marketing communications general manager of Senayan City said. “It was like magic. He’s transformed normal-looking people into fabulous personalities.” 

Snippets of the exhibition are also available on the stylist’s Instagram and TikTok accounts, @carendelano.

“[The exhibition] will be an annual event,” Caren said. “I plan to integrate it with a bazaar featuring Indonesia’s fashion products next year.” 

“Together, Indonesia’s fashion industry can grow stronger.” 

Caren’s brand Faboo presented some of its collections at the exhibition on Oct. 9. The first collection consisted of 20 women and ten men’s casual looks, dominated by the color pink. 

“For me, pink is the color of love,” he said. “With this color, I want to embrace everybody and energize us all as we emerge from the pandemic.” 

The stylist plans to bring his fashion brand to the international world and present it at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) next year. 

“When I dream, I dream big,” Caren concluded.