The Chakeris founder releaes her first resort collection this month
In a city defined by humidity and high style, the holy grail of Charleston dressing is the easy throw-on—that elusive piece that’s equal parts relaxed and polished. It’s a dress code Sara Chakeris knows well. The Charleston native grew up surrounded by clothing design thanks to her mother’s breezy resort wear brand, Madison Mathews. Still, despite that early exposure—tagging along to markets in Atlanta, spending after-school hours in the shop, and working retail during summers—Chakeris never planned to follow in her mom’s footsteps.
After earning a business degree from the University of Mississippi in 2022, she moved to New York City to pursue a job in finance. While on the hunt (and reckoning with the fact that she was now funding her own lifestyle), she started designing samples for herself and sending them to the manufacturer of Madison Mathews in India. “It was just for fun,” she says.
However, as soon as the samples arrived, people began stopping her on the street to ask where she got them. A light bulb went off. “I realized, maybe I should do this,” she says. “I love it.” On the encouragement of her mother to just give it a try, Chakeris was born…