There are a lot of designers that I love, like Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, and Donna Karan. It always feels good to be represented, and I don’t see a lot of Hispanic designers. However, When I discovered that Oscar de la Renta, a world-renowned and legendary designer, was Dominican, I was ecstatic.
He has dressed American first ladies Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan, and Laura Bush, according to Biography. His clothes are also rocked by some A-list celebrities today as well, like Sarah Jessica Parker, Sandra Bullock, Penelope Cruz and so many more!
His brand has stood the test of time and is still successful today even though de la Renta himself has passed. He was most known for designing women’s couture, but he has also designed men’s wear, accessories, bags, and bridal. He also has fragrances.
De la Renta has won two Coty Awards (fashion industry award equivalent to the Grammy Awards for music or the Oscars for film) and an American Fashion Critics Award. He is a member of the Coty Hall of Fame and has served as the president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America for five years.
Oscar de la Renta was born Oscar Aristides Ortiz de la Renta Fiallo on July 22, 1932, in Santo Domingo, Dominica Republic, to a Dominican mother and a Puerto Rican father, in a middle-class family. He was also the only son in his family (having six sisters). De la Renta started his career by moving to Spain at the age of 18 to sketch designs for some leading Spanish fashion houses, according to Fashion Elite. Oscar subsequently, left Spain and traveled to Paris, France where he became an apprentice and assistant to Spanish fashion designer Antonio del Castillo who was also running the French Fashion house Lanvin. De la Renta launched his brand in 1965 in New York, according to NHCOA.
Feeling represented and seeing people who look like you succeed in life is an amazing and refreshing experience. It reminds you that if they can succeed in life you can as well.
