Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

OSCAR DE LA RENTA Oscar de la Renta was born in 1933 in the Dominican Republic. At the age of eighteen Oscar left his native land and moved to Madrid, Spain to study painting at the San Fernando Art School. While he was living in Spain he discovered his extensive love for fashion and began sketching for many leading Spanish fashion houses. This soon led to Oscar being an apprentice with Spain’s most revered couturier, Christian Balenciaga. Soon after that Oscar de la Renta left Spain and began working with Antonio Castillo as a couture assistant at the house of Lanvin in Paris. Finally, in 1963, Oscar came to New York to design couture collections for Elizabeth Arden. After two years with Elizabeth Arden, he then joined the Jane Derby Company as a partner with Ben Shaw and his son Gerald Shaw. In 1966, the label was changed to carry the Oscar de la Renta signature. By 1974, Oscar and Gerald Shaw took full ownership of the company. It has since expanded to include countries such as Europe, The Orient, and South America, in addition to North America. Not only is Oscar famous for his clothing designs but also for his design of fragrances such