About Caroline De Baere
Hello! I am Caroline.
Spending over three decades in a career I love has provided me with a rare opportunity to share my enthusiasm for creative design, fashion, and education with those in footwear, fashion, and beyond. I thrive in relationship building, as well as public speaking and mentorship as ways to give back to my industry. My other passions are footwear and fashion intellectual property as an industry expert witness and my side hustle running my short-term rental Airbnb.
Footwear & Fashion Industry Expert, Educator, Public Speaker
During my more than 30 year career as a footwear and fashion industry expert, I’ve acquired and cultivated deep knowledge in research, design, product development, manufacturing and sales management. In addition, I bring merchandising and sales management experience to successfully work with and provide consulting services to both start-ups and large businesses alike. My years of industry perspective cover all aspects of branding from initial concept through final delivery to the consumer.
Industry Services
A Sampling of Testimonials
“Working alongside Caroline de Baere in the Design Division of California College of the Arts is both energizing and uplifting. Her industry expertise, technical skills, creative problem-solving, and passion for what she does continually inspire my colleagues and I.
Caroline’s unwavering professional dedication to mentoring aspiring designers showcases her undeniable commitment to supporting the next generation of innovative professionals, and it comes as no surprise that she is held in high regard by both students and peers alike for her remarkable abilities in both design and academia.”
—Ghazaleh Khalifeh, Assistant Professor, California College of the Arts
“Working with Caroline has been the epitome of “as good as it gets!” As a start-up brand, we began working with Caroline from the inception. She possesses a wealth of knowledge of the shoe industry from a career dedicated to all things shoes. Not only is she an expert in product development but also in merchandising, and brand evolvement. Her work guided us in all of the details from managing the design process with our shoe designer, to selecting a factory, country research, logistics & customs import designations, sustainability definitions, product testing requirements, fit testing, design changes, & packaging.
While in production, Caroline was fundamental in advising how to write our product descriptions, website FAQs, social media post topics, and was an essential lead of product photography. Caroline played a critical role in helping start our brand from day 1 through our 3rd style & will play an essential role going forward as we grow our brand.”
—Janet Ward, QUADS Designs, Co-founder & CEO
“Caroline is a beacon of joy and inspiration! Her dedication to our shoe design class was unmatched, always going the extra mile to uplift and guide every student, including myself. Her support extends far beyond the classroom and encountering her is a privilege and blessing to have come across.”
—Daniel (Little) Nava, Industrial Design graduate
“I first used Caroline as a footwear expert for Deckers in 2017 in a case against Bearpaw. As a valuable member of our trial team, Caroline helped us obtain a $5.3 million jury verdict for patent infringement.
Since then, Caroline has assisted my firm in a variety of matters where we have relied on her considerable expertise.”
—Brent Blakely, Owner, Blakely Law Group
“We have had the pleasure of working with Caroline for the last 5 years. As a speaker, chair and advisor Caroline pours her heart into all and every commitment, and her charisma and energy know no bounds. Yes, she is an industry expert and an excellent speaker, but more generally, she is just a lovely person and is always willing to jump in and help whenever needed. Every ounce of me recommends her for all and any speaking role and project she is considered for!”
—Michael Ratcliffe, Head of Content and Culture, PI Apparel
“In the footwear world, we too often see rip-offs which can jade our vision of innovation. The IP Master Class was an excellent tool to teach the fundamentals on how we can protect ourselves as designers and developers from infringement. That knowledge gained, paired with the opportunity it presented to meet and connect with intelligent members of the footwear community made for an excellent program.”
—Kim Thomas, Footwear Industry Consultant