A dream came true for Colombian-Venezuelan designer Raul Peñaranda.
Wednesday night, he debuted his Fall/Winter 2012 ready to wear collection at New York Fashion Week.
Born in Colombia and raised in Caracas, Venezuela and Miami, Peñaranda came to New York City to pursue his love of fashion.
While attending the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parson’s New School for Design, Peñaranda was offered his first job as a freelance designer for Liz Claiborne.
While Peñaranda worked under some of the most elite names in fashion, his dream of designing his own line never left his mind.
After working for Oscar De La Renta, Tommy Hilfiger, and DKNY, Peñaranda debuted his first ready to wear collection in the fall of 2010.
His newest collection for Fall/Winter 2012, entitled “Midnight Opulence”, is inspired by the subtle beauty Peñaranda sees around him.
Living by the mantra “dream, vision, realty”, Peñaranda designs clothes that feel luxurious but have an understated beauty.
Gisele Returns to Catwalk for NYFW
Peñaranda is not concerned about what is considered fashionable, “To me the trend, you have to feel it, you don’t have to follow it.”
His ready to wear line has become an extension of Peñaranda’s vibrant Latino personality which is what his brand is all about.
While being a Latino in the fashion industry has been a challenge, he hopes to bring the “cha,cha,cha” passion of Latino designers back to fashionistas everywhere, he said.
You can reach Kacy Capobres at:
KacyJayne@gmail.com or via Twitter: @KacyJayne
Follow us on twitter.com/foxnewslatino
Like us at facebook.com/foxnewslatino
Fun stories about food, relationships, the great outdoors and more.