No scent is more sensual or more memorable to me than musk.
I love the scent of jasmine, honeysuckle, and orange blossom. They remind me of gardens and visits to the ocean I would make as a boy.
My personal style is relaxed.
I'm a great fan of Bloomingdale's, and I'm a very loyal alumni of Parsons. I think what they do, what they've done, is amazing. They've educated some of the best American designers.
When I graduated from Parsons School of Design, the dean at that time said I would never be a designer. Obviously I didn't listen.
I went to Parsons, and I interned with Ronen when I was at Parsons. We started our own company since then.
It's so great to see a woman dressed in jeans and a lace-up boot with an extraordinary jacket. It's a moment where you do want to mix high and low, and it's not so much about a head-to-toe designer look.
Because I'm so hands on here at work and always looking at fabrics you have to be mobile and as comfortable as possible.
My parents never understood why I didn't want to be a doctor or lawyer. They're Cuban immigrants who wanted to give their children the American dream, and, to them, that was more of what 'the dream' entailed.
Once winter sets in I must have the sun and warmth. I need to be in the sun - I'm a true island baby.
You may grow very quickly the first two years and then watch the business decline, unless you really start selling product at any price range with various degrees of quality.
Latin men love Latin women, it is part of the culture, we celebrate women in a very special way and I think that is present in my work. I do it by making them beautiful, sensual.
I was always fascinated by graphic art and typography and architecture. And so I was constantly cutting things and making blocks and making buildings out of shoeboxes.
When I was about 13, I met the coolest, chicest young woman I had ever seen. She was a neighbor of mine who became a fashion designer and had a small design studio. She taught me so many things about style and fashion. I had always loved making things, so when she told me about her career in fashion, I knew I had found my path.
I realize that I live in the same environment that I did when I was a kid, but with less junk and better art.
I think more and more that I get to challenge myself and kind of raise the standard for myself every season. Even the term 'fashion' is about change. It's about newness. And what that newness means is different every 10 years, every five years.
Many of my clients have become close friends, and that informs the clothing I design for them. Julianna Margulies was introduced to me by her publicist many years ago, and we've been good friends ever since.
I owe my career to Latina women. I was surrounded by the amazing group: my mother, my aunts, my extended family. They didn't necessarily have access to high fashion, but they had great style and looked stunning naturally at every age.
There's a spirit of Latina women in all of my work, in the love of the body and the strong sense of self.
I love boliche, roasted pig, and black beans and rice. When I need a quick fix, I head to Cafe Cortadito on Avenue B and 3rd here in New York City.
