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LAS101- Latin American and Caribbean Cultures                                       

FWA#1: People and Country

Oscar de La Renta: The Dominican ambassador of beauty and femininity

Francis Stephenson          


Oscar de la Renta once said, “My strength lies in knowing who I am, and where I come from-my island.” The renowned fashion designer is living proof that no matter where you come from, a poor or rich country, you can achieve greatness. His words are indicative of an individual who believes in the importance of recognizing your origins as the foundation to help you achieve your potential, working hard to develop it, and staying true to yourself.  In addition, believing in your dreams and your goals will lead to success which can give you the opportunity to value and appreciate the good things you inherited from your place of origin. He is also a great example of how sharing that success with people that are less fortunate will turn you into a great humanitarian.


The Dominican Republic is perhaps best known as a tropical, but impoverished paradise island. It is located in the Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean.  The Island was explored by Columbus in his first voyage in 1492. He named it La Hispaniola. The capital, Santo Domingo, was founded in 1496 and it is the oldest European settlement in the Western Hemisphere. With over 9 Million people, the Dominican Republic is for many synonymous for merengue, bachata, beautiful beaches and resorts, and exporting some of the most famous baseball players in the major leagues. One figure that unquestionably stands out as perhaps as the most international prominent is Oscar de la Renta. Oscar is not only one of the world’s leading fashion designer but a man who has a diverse group of close friends such as Henry Kissinger, Nancy Reagan and Julio Iglesias. He has dressed countless dignitaries and former first ladies including Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton as well as the iconic Jackie Kennedy Onassis.  His designs epitomize sophistication and femininity. The native Dominican has managed to capitalize on his Dominican roots to embrace and revolutionize the fashion world.


Oscar de la Renta was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 1932, (5). As a child he was raised by a strict father and loving mother and had six sisters. His father, Oscar senior, was a successful insurance businessman who had hoped his son would take over the reins of the family business, but Oscar De la Renta had other plans, artistic ones at that. From an early age, he was interested in the arts and wanted to become a painter. This early interest in art gave him the foundation for the wide range of areas he ventured into as a designer as well as, a great sense for colors. His creative talents towards fashion manifested at an early age. When he was a child he would put outfits together for his sisters. 


In spite of his father’s objection, in 1950 he enrolled in Santo Domingo’s National School of Art (5). Unhappy with his son’s decision to pursue art, his father refused to pay his tuition. Oscar was determined to pursue his dreams in spite of his father’s wishes and obstacles. Additionally, he had to risk the stigma of a culture that would perhaps question his masculinity due to his chosen profession.


In order to support himself, he started selling sketches to fashion magazines. In 1956, Mrs. John Lodge, wife of Spain U.S. ambassador at the time, saw his sketches and asked Oscar to design a debutante gown for her daughter, Beatrice.  The design made its way to the cover of Life magazine. This was a major accomplishment, as it would not only mark Beatrice introduction into the elite social circle, but also Oscar de la Renta’s introduction to the fashion world as a reputable designer.


After the Life magazine cover, Oscar transitioned to do an internship with famed Spanish designer, Cristobal Balenciaga. A few years later he moved to Paris to work for French fashion house Lanvin, In 1963 he moved to New York to work with famed cosmetic founder Elizabeth Arden. Oscar’s ability as a designer and artist also allowed for a high-powered circle of acquaintances including French Vogue editor Francoise de Langlade who become his first wife.


In 1966 with the support of his wife, he decided to go on his own and launch his own designing label in Paris. By the early 70’s he was already an established fashion fixture designing everything from coats, to pants, and his signature designs, elegant and sophisticated eveningwear which are rich in color, ruffles and colorful prints, all a clear inspiration from his Dominican roots and his unique talent to design to accentuate a woman’s body. Growing up with six sisters certainly paved the way for this. The late 70’s were a time of great success for de la Renta. In 1977, he introduced his first perfume and by 1980, his company was worth about $200 million dollars.


After his wife Francoise died of cancer in 1983, Mr. de la Renta needed some time to grieve and retreated home to the Dominican Republic. Soon after his arrival, word spread in his city of La Romana about an abandoned baby in a dumpster. This child would become, Moises de la Renta. Oscar adopted Moises. Oscar’s son would not only grow up in a privileged world, far away from the poverty stricken life Mr. de la Renta vowed to keep him from, but also willing to follow the reigns of his famous father. Moises de la Renta launched his first clothing line in 2009.  In 1989 Oscar married American philanthropist and socialite Annette Reed and became a stepfather to her three children Beatrice, Eliza, and Charles. They too are involved in running his fashion empire.


By the late 90’s he expanded his empire by introducing an accessories lines of bags,  shoes and belts, a line of bed and bath home collection would soon followed in 2002. He has also venture to interior design and recently helped design the rooms at Tortuga Bay, a boutique hotel and resort at Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.


Adopting his son’s Moises is clearly a sign of someone who is selfless and compassionate. While Oscar de la Renta expanded and diversified his fashion empire he became very active in his native country and the needs of the children there. He is involved with numerous nonprofit organizations that promote the social well being of communities in the Dominican Republic. He is particularly devoted to helping the impoverished children of La Romana. There, with the help of other philanthropists, colleague and friends he founded Casa del Nino, an orphanage and children’s center which provides them with basic needs and medical care. He’s helped built other schools for underprivileged kids, orphanages, medical facilities and other philanthropic endeavors for the disabled.


His contributions to the Fashion industry have been well documented. Oscar de la Renta has received numerous awards and recognition including a lifetime achievement award by the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) in 1990, CFDA womenswear designer of the year in 2000 and 2007, and another lifetime achievement award by the famous Parsons School of Design in 2006, (1). Due to his early interest in art and painting, Oscar de la Renta is not only a designer but also an avid supporter of the arts in general. He serves as a board member of The Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, and Channel Thirteen.


Long after the Life magazine cover exposure featuring his design, Oscar de la Renta continues to inspire not only socially prominent women who wear his clothes but also young designers who are influenced by his work.  As noted by fashion writer Robin Givhan from The Daily Beast during the most recent New York Fashion Week’s Spring 2012 runway shows,  “while many young designers such as Zac Posen and Jason Wu, claim a variety of inspirations for their designs, one eminence grise has had an outsize influence on the current aesthetics:  Oscar de la Renta.” (4)  Although some of these new generation designers may not be designing for the socialite, or a First Lady, Oscar de la Renta’s ability to design for women to make them look and feel pretty has indeed informed and inspired an entire generation of designers.


While conducting research about Oscar de La Renta, I learned that although the average woman may not be able to afford his clothes, as a Dominican woman, I am proud to call Oscar de la Renta a native son of my country. He has not only set the standard for glamour and sophistication in the fashion world, but has also transmitted his Dominican roots and his upbringing into his designs and is a man who hasn’t forgotten where he came from and gives back to his community and his people. Most importantly, he can be a source of inspiration to us all in that if you want to achieve your dreams, sometimes you have to go against odds such as your parent’s wishes, or financial struggles in order to develop our potential. He taught me that it is important to keep exploring new areas and creating beautiful things to make people feel great, even if only by window shopping.

   

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.