Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta was born in 1932 in the Dominican Republic.

His feminine style, all silk and satin dresses, colorful and flowery, rich with ornaments, embroidery and Hispanic influences, has conquered the hearts of red-carpet fashionistas. From Nancy Reagan to Hillary Clinton, Emma Watson, Amy Adams and Sarah Jessica Parker, her creations have been part of every Met Gala, ceremony, Oscar after-party and Golden Globe.

Oscar de la Renta's career began in 1951, when he went to Madrid to study painting. He became an illustrator for Balenciaga in 1957, before moving to New York in the early 60s. There, under the guidance of Diana Vreeland, then editor-in-chief of Vogue, he created his first couture collection. In 1965, he joined forces with Jane Derby to found the house of Oscar de la Renta, whose name appeared that same year for the very first time in the famous fashion magazine. From then on, he went from strength to strength, before taking over as Artistic Director of Balmain in 1992, a position he held for almost a decade. In 1999, Balmain was awarded the Légion d'Honneur, a prestigious French honour, and he continued to expand the company's product range, offering not only ready-to-wear and bridal lines, but also a children's line, beauty products and a "home" line.

Since the designer's death in 2014, Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, his close collaborators for many years, have taken up the torch at the head of the Maison.