DFA Spotlight: Karina Gupta
For this installment of the DFA Spotlight, Karina G, former DFA President at Vanderbilt University, reflects on how a mindset she developed through DFA ultimately led her to redesign one of the most frustrating items in women’s wardrobes: jeans.
Now an MBA candidate at Yale, Karina is preparing to launch her own startup—metal-free, slip-on jeans designed to adapt to weight fluctuations throughout the day, month, and life itself. While her path has taken her from engineering at Vanderbilt, product management at Microsoft, and consulting at McKinsey, she traces the foundation of her current work back to DFA, long before she ever imagined starting a company.
“I was always really interested in design thinking and human-centered design,” she says. “After DFA, I knew this was something I really wanted to pursue. I just didn’t know what that meant as a career.”
Learning to Design for Real People
During her time at Vanderbilt, DFA offered more than just exposure to creative problem-solving; it gave Karina a framework she still relies on today.
“The fundamentals of design thinking were huge,” she explains. “Even if people have some idea of prototyping or iterating, DFA really gives you a structure you can actually use as a guiding force.”
What stood out most was DFA’s emphasis on iteration as an ongoing process rather than a one-time step. “I loved how DFA reinforces the idea that you can prototype, go back, and ask, ‘Does this actually solve the need?”
That mindset would later prove essential, as her startup went through six full rounds of prototyping before landing on the final product.
“It was definitely not a linear process,” she says. “There was a lot of stopping to ask, ‘Are we really solving for what we want? Is this actually what the customer enjoys?”
Confidence to Tackle the Unknown
One of the most lasting lessons Karina carried forward from DFA was confidence, especially the confidence to work outside her comfort zone. “With DFA, you don’t need any one skill set,” she explains. “Everyone brings something different to the table, and that’s something to celebrate.”
That belief became critical when she decided to redesign women’s jeans.
“I remember thinking, ‘I don’t know anything about jeans. I don’t even know where to start,” she says. “But DFA really teaches you that that’s okay.”
Instead of stopping there, she focused on building the right team of subject matter experts. She partnered with a former Levi’s denim designer to better understand materials and construction, and later worked with a technical designer from Athleta to master fit and sizing.
Designing Jeans That Adapt to Real Life
Now an MBA candidate at Yale, Karina is pursuing her startup full-time. The idea behind the brand is deeply human-centered: slip-on jeans that adapt to weight fluctuations throughout the day, the month, and life itself.
“If I wore jeans in the morning, they wouldn’t fit at night,” she says. “Or if they fit on my period, they’d be baggy the rest of the time. I kept asking, ‘Why can’t jeans adapt to us the way leggings do?’”
When looking further into it, Gupta realized that most jeans are still engineered around hardware—buttons, zippers, rigid waistbands—that lock the fit in place. Even when stretch is added to denim, they’re designed to feel right for one specific moment, not to move with you throughout an entire day.
“At the opposite end are pull-on styles that sacrifice construction and design for convenience. These alternatives often rely on lower-quality materials, uncomfortable waistbands, and silhouettes that feel more utilitarian than elevated—leaving wearers just as uncomfortable as before.”
Gupta’s solution takes a completely different approach: They are a pair of slip-on jeans designed to flex and breathe without sacrificing style. They maintain the look of a classic fly and button—complete with a zipper shape and button opening—without any functional hardware at all. The front is fully fabric, designed to move and adapt while preserving the polished appearance of traditional denim. The launch collection includes four SKUs—straight and boot cut, dark and light wash—using alpha sizing from extra small through extra large.
Looking Ahead
Karina officially launches the brand via Kickstarter on February 3. While the idea for the jeans came later, the way she approached building them traces back to her time with DFA.
“I don’t think the DFA mindset ever really left,” she reflects. “I just see it again and again, in my work, in school, and now in designing these jeans.”
As DFA continues to empower students to challenge norms and design for real human needs, Karina’s story is a powerful example of what happens when those skills are carried forward.
Stay tuned for the upcoming Kickstarter launch on February 3. You can follow her journey here: https://www.instagram.com/karinaj_denim/
If you would like to purchase a pair or support her campaign, the Kickstarter went live this morning. They are offering 45% off for the first 48 hours: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/karinagupta/karinaj-denim-slip-on-jeans-that-adapt-to-you
