Oscar de la Renta was a fashion designer of Dominican origin, who established his fashion firm in New York. He was the first Latin designer to design for a French house: Balmain. Oscar dressed the most important women of the 20th century. His good taste combining the techniques of the old world with the attributes of modernity, led him to found the successful fashion brand that bears his name. A brand recognized for the classicism and romance in his designs, which are now taken to the contemporary woman by his successors, Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, current creative directors of the brand.
Oscar Aristides Renta Fiallo was born on July 22, 1932 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Born to a Dominican mother and a Puerto Rican father, he was the youngest of seven children and the only boy. His maternal family was well-known in Dominican society, full of artists, diplomats, and merchants; on his father’s side, there was a well-known line of Puerto Rican politicians.
After the death of his mother when he was 18, Oscar de la Renta moved to Spain to study painting at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. To help supplement his income, he began doing clothing illustrations for newspapers and small fashion labels. Francesca Lodge, Italian actress and dancer, wife of the American ambassador in Madrid, John Davis Lodge, was captivated by some of Oscar’s illustrations and commissioned him to design a dress for her daughter. After the de la Renta-designed dress appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine, it gained the interest of fashion buyers.
The Dominican began to become more interested in the industry and started doing illustrations for Spanish fashion houses, which later got him an apprenticeship with Spanish designer Cristobal Balenciaga. In the early 1960s, Oscar left Spain and moved to Paris, where he was the apprentice and assistant to Antonio del Castillo, who at the time was running the French house Lanvin. Thus began a career in fashion for Oscar de la Renta.
Subsequently, the Oscar de la Renta brand became famous for converging European design with American fashion. The house was founded in 1965 in New York, producing only ready-to-wear collections. Years later, it expanded further in 1977 with the launch of OSCAR, the brand’s first fragrance. Its brand became known for boosting the public image of several U.S. first ladies, such as Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Jacqueline Kennedy.
In 1973 he was selected as one of the five designers from the United States to participate in France in the Battle of Versailles, a fashion gala organized for the rescue of the famous palace, which pitted French design against American design. In 2002 he presented Oscar de la Renta Home, with a varied collection of furniture and fragrances for the home. In 2014, De la Renta announced his retirement and handed over the responsibility of his brand to Peter Copping.
Oscar de la Renta stood out for his altruistic work, in his native country he founded the orphanage called Casa del Niño. Today, the Hogar del Niño is not only the largest child care and education center in the Dominican Republic, it is also leading the way for other similar institutions.
In addition, it has contributed to the construction of two schools: one in Punta Cana and the other in La Romana, Dominican Republic. More than 1,500 children are enrolled between the two schools. There are special classes for blind and deaf-mute children. The main objective is to help families according to their situation and need.
For his immense contribution to the world of haute couture, the arts and other social causes, Oscar de la Renta has received from the French government its highest award “Commandant de la Legion d’Honneur”. In the United States, De la Renta has been a patron of the arts and has served on the boards of The Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Thirteen/WNET and the Association of Hispanic Designers. He has also served on the boards of international institutions such as UNICEF, the Americas Society and the Spanish Institute. In 2000 he was awarded the Gold Medal by the King of Spain. De la Renta died in Connecticut, United States, at the age of 82, after being diagnosed with cancer in 2006.
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