Designer Pamina Saba del Pozzo works in her studio, surrounded by watercolor supplies. Photo: S2H Communications.

Brand founded by designer Pamina Saba del Pozzo produces handcrafted coverings inspired by Latin American landscapes, pledges commitment to environmental practices

GENEVA – Kariokas produces wallpapers and fabrics that the brand describes as luxury goods, featuring handcrafted patterns that render South American tropical scenery and combine contemporary European draftsmanship with the colors of the neighboring continent’s flora and fauna. Designer Pamina Saba del Pozzo created the company, which has international reach, with distribution through showrooms in the United States, including one in Columbus, Ohio, along with manufacturing at workshops in France, Switzerland and Britain.

A Kariokas print featured in the living room combines tropical flora and fauna in neutral tones. Photo: S2H Communications.

Founded in Geneva in 2016, the company grew out of its creator’s personal connection to Latin America, the region where her mother’s family originated. She says she traveled through Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia and Peru from a young age and recognized, in every country she visited, a shared enchantment that stayed with her even after returning to Europe.

Named after Rio de Janeiro, a city Pamina describes as a second home despite being more than 5,000 miles (about 8,000 kilometers) away, the brand’s name echoes the word “cariocas,” the term for the city’s residents. According to Kariokas, the choice reflects the business’s commercial proposal: awakening in customers a sense of tropical belonging inside their own homes. Geneva remains the founder’s personal and professional base, and she now lives in the Swiss city with her husband and their three children.

Craftsmanship and environmental commitment

Kariokas says each piece in the collection begins as a hand-drawn watercolor sketch before any digital step. According to information released by the company and by authorized resellers such as American retailer Michi Patterns, the method preserves the artist’s signature even as patterns move into large-scale manufacturing. Illustrations get digitized after the initial sketch, allowing scale adjustments and customization based on each interior design project.

A fabric detail from the collection showcases an original, hand-painted watercolor design. Photo: S2H Communications.

Given the environmental concern attributed to the business, Kariokas says its coverings are printed in France by manufacturers described as responsible, on paper sourced from sustainably managed forests and with non-toxic inks. Production happens only after an order comes in, the brand says, reducing raw-material waste.

Kariokas applies the same guideline to its line of accessories and fabrics, manufactured in France, Switzerland and Britain by suppliers the company presents as committed to advanced techniques and quality materials. Product shipping follows a similar standard, the company adds, with recyclable packaging sent to customers in different countries.

Path to design

Born in Paris and raised in Switzerland, Pamina holds a degree in international politics from Georgetown University in the United States and a master’s in European politics from the College of Europe. Her academic record did not initially point toward a path connected to interior decoration.

Pamina Saba del Pozzo, designer and founder of the Kariokas brand. Photo: S2H Communications.

Her studies in international relations gave way, years later, to a professional turn. A decade working in political advocacy for the solar energy sector preceded the shift, a period before Kariokas was created.

A decade in that energy sector did not dampen, the designer says, her long-standing passion for drawing and decoration. Previous experience in institutional advocacy would have helped structure the new business on an international scale from the outset, Kariokas says.

Latin and Egyptian roots

Much of the founder’s aesthetic repertoire comes from her family’s cultural mix, which includes South American and Egyptian ancestry. Pamina says the home where she grew up was marked by vivid colors, murals and flowers, elements that reappear today in the brand’s collections.

A collection featuring Egyptian motifs pays homage to the brand founder’s family heritage. Photo: S2H Communications.

Inherited from her Egyptian grandmother and combined with her Latin roots, that background reportedly awakened in the creator an early interest in visual storytelling, which Kariokas presents as the direct source of the graphic language used in every release.

A print inspired by the Andean Altiplano features llamas and cacti, a nod to the family’s travels through Bolivia and Peru. Photo: S2H Communications.

Travel as raw material

Capturing visual references during frequent trips across South America forms part of Pamina’s creative routine, according to the brand. Before any sketch, she observes color combinations, plant species and local textures, recorded in photographs and notes that give rise, the firm says, to the narrative behind each collection.

Jaguars, a toucan, and a monkey make up a forest scene at dusk in one of the brand’s prints. Photo: S2H Communications.

Lines aimed at hospitality

During the design phase, Kariokas’ team evaluates the space, the desired mood and the surrounding architecture before proposing an exclusive design, according to the maker.

An earth-toned pattern applied beneath a masonry arch evokes the brand’s custom designs for hospitality spaces. Photo: S2H Communications.

Hotels, restaurants and high-end residences account for a significant share of Kariokas’ orders, the firm says.

Information used in this report comes from institutional material released by Kariokas and by authorized resellers, such as Michi Patterns, since the company was not reached directly for this article.

Followers of the brand’s catalog find a synthesis of European manufacturing rigor and Latin American tropical inspiration. Pamina sums up her business’s purpose by saying she hopes her creations take the public on a journey, even without leaving home.

Website : https://www.kariokas.com/

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/kariokas_design/