Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo (22 July 1932 – 20 October 2014), known professionally as Óscar de la Renta, was a Dominican fashion designer.

Spouse(s)

Françoise de Langlade (m. 1967; wid. 1983)
Annette Engelhard (m. 1989; his death 2014)

Relatives Fabio Fiallo (uncle)

Born in Santo Domingo, he was trained by Cristóbal Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo; he became internationally known in the 1960s as one of the couturiers to dress Jacqueline Kennedy. An award-winning designer, he worked for Lanvin and Balmain; his eponymous fashion house continues to dress leading figures, from film stars to royalty, into the 2010s.

Early years

De la Renta was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to a Dominican mother of Spanish descent (particularly Canarian), Carmen María Antonia Fiallo, and a Puerto Rican father, Óscar Avelino Renta. The Fiallos were so embedded in Dominican society that they could count poets, scholars, and businessmen as well as top army brass among their members.

A maternal uncle, Arístides Fiallo Cabral, was a doctor, lawyer, and architect, who received every degree the University of Santo Domingo could confer. Another, Fabio Fiallo, was a diplomat and poet.[4] On his father's side, Renta great-great grandfather José Ortiz Renta was the first mayor ofPonce, Puerto Rico elected by popular vote. He served as mayor from 1812-14, from 1815-16, from 1820-21, from 1823-26, from 1837-38, from 1842-43, from 1843-44, and in 1846. He had the distinction of having held the office of mayor of Ponce the most-eight times.

At the age of 18, he went to study painting in Spain at the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid. He quickly became interested in the world of fashion design and began sketching for leading Spanish fashion houses, which soon led to an apprenticeship with Spain's most renowned couturier,Cristóbal Balenciaga. He considers Cristóbal Balenciaga his mentor. Later, de la Renta left Spain to join Antonio del Castillo as a couture assistant at Lanvin in Paris.

Career

In 1963, de la Renta turned to Diana Vreeland, the editor-in-chief of Vogue for advice, saying that what he really wanted was to "get into ready to wear, because that's where the money is". Vreeland replied, "Then go to Arden because you will make your reputation faster. She is not a designer, so she will promote you. At the other place, you will always be eclipsed by the name of Dior." De la Renta proceeded to work for Arden for two years before he in 1965 went to work for Jane Derby and launched his own label. When Derby died in August 1965, de la Renta took over the label.

From 1993 to 2002, de la Renta designed the haute couture collection for the house of Balmain, becoming the first Dominican to design for a French couture house. In 2006, the Oscar de la Renta label diversified into bridal wear.

De la Renta's designs have been worn by a diverse group of distinguished women and celebrities. De la Renta's brand saw international wholesale growth beginning in 2003, under the direction of CEO Alex Bolen, from five to seventy five locations. De la Renta's ready-to-wear designs are available in his retail stores, online, and with select wholesale partners worldwide.

Other enterprises

In 1977, de la Renta launched his fragrance, OSCAR, followed by an accessories line in 2001 and a homewares line in 2002. The new business venture included 100 home furnishings for Century Furniture featuring dining tables, upholstered chairs, and couches. In 2004, he added a less expensive line of clothing called O Oscar. De la Renta said he wanted to attract new customers whom he could not reach before.

In 2006, de la Renta designed Tortuga Bay, a boutique hotel at PUNTACANA Resort and Club. Tortuga Bay is a Leading Small Hotel of the World. and a member of Virtuoso.

Awards, honors, and philanthropic endeavors

Design awards

In 1967 and 1968, de la Renta won the Coty Award (the US fashion industry 'Oscars') and in 1973 was inducted into the Coty Hall of Fame.

From 1973 to 1976, and from 1986 to 1988, he served as President of the CFDA. He is also a two-time winner of the American Fashion Critic's Award and was inducted into the Fame in 1973.

De la Renta's talents receive continual international recognition. Among them, he received the Council of Fashion Designers Designer of the Year Award in 2000 and in 2007 (tied with Proenza Schouler). In February 1990, he was honored with the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award. King Juan Carlos of Spain bestowed de la Renta with two awards, the Gold Medal of Bellas Artes and the La Gran Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Civil. He is recognized by the French government with the Légion d'honneur as a Commandeur.

Other awards

He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1973.

The Dominican Republic honored him with the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sanchez and Mella and the Order of Christopher Columbus. De la Renta founded the Casa del Niño orphanage in La Romana He contributed extensively in the construction of a much needed school near his home at the Punta Cana Resort and Club in Punta Cana.

De la Renta held dual citizenship in the Dominican Republic and the United States. He is an Ambassador-at-Large of the Dominican Republic.

De la Renta served as a board member of the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, and WNET. He served on the boards of several charitable institutions such as New Yorkers for Children, the America's Society. He was chairman of the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute. He received an honorary degree from Hamilton College (New York) on 26 May 2013.

In February 2014, Oscar de la Renta recreated his entire Spring presentation, Designed for A Cure 2014 collection, to raise money for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Personal life

In 1967, de la Renta became the third husband of Françoise de Langlade (1921–1983), an editor-in-chief of French Vogue who once worked for the fashion house of Elsa Schiaparelli. They were married until she died of cancer in 1983. After her death, de la Renta adopted a boy from the Dominican Republic and named him Moises.

In 1989, the designer married Annette Engelhard (born 1939), daughter of Franz Mannheimer and his wife Jane née Reiss, and adoptive daughter of her mother's second husband, Charles W. Engelhard, Jr. De la Renta had stepchildren from both marriages. His son-in-law Alex Bolen currently operates as Chief Executive Officer, and step-daughter Eliza Bolen serves as Vice President of Licensing, at Oscar de la Renta, LLC.

De la Renta was regarded as an unofficial ambassador of the Dominican Republic, his home country, and held a diplomatic passport. He had homes in Casa de Campo, Punta Cana, and Kent, Connecticut.

Cancer and death

He had been diagnosed with cancer in 2006. A year later, at the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Executive Director Fern Mallis called him "The Sultan of Suave". At that event, he spoke of his cancer, saying:

“Yes, I had cancer. Right now, I am totally clean. The only realities in life are that you are born, and that you die. We always think we are going to live forever. The dying aspect we will never accept. The one thing about having this kind of warning is how you appreciate every single day of life.”

De la Renta died of complications from cancer on October 20, 2014, at his home in Kent, Connecticut, at the age of 82.

***

Óscar Arístides de la Renta Fiallo (July 22, 1932 – October 20, 2014) was a Dominican fashion designer. Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, De la Renta was trained by Cristóbal Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo; he became internationally known in the 1960s as one of the couturiers to dress Jacqueline Kennedy. An award-winning designer, he worked for Lanvin and Balmain; his eponymous fashion house continues to dress leading figures, from film stars to royalty, into the 2010s. De la Renta is particularly known for his red carpet gowns and evening wear.

Early years

De la Renta was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to a Dominican mother of Spanish descent (particularly Canarian), Carmen María Antonia Fiallo and a Puerto Rican father, Óscar Avelino de la Renta. The Fiallos were so embedded in Dominican society that they could count poets, scholars, and businessmen as well as top army brass among their members. One of María Antonia's brothers, Arístides Fiallo Cabral, was an intellectual – a doctor, lawyer, architect, and recipient of every degree the University of Santo Domingo could confer. Another brother, Fabio Fiallo, was a diplomat and poet. On his father's side, De la Renta's great great grandfather José Ortiz de la Renta was the first constitutional mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico to be elected by popular vote. He served as mayor from 1812 to 1814, from 1815 to 1816, from 1820 to 1821, from 1823 to 1826, from 1837 to 1838, from 1842 to 1843, from 1843 to 1844, and 1846. He had the distinction of having held the office of mayor of Ponce the most-eight times. At the age of 18, he left the Dominican Republic to study in Spain, where he studied painting at the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. He quickly became interested in the world of fashion design and began sketching for leading Spanish fashion houses, which soon led to an apprenticeship with Spain's most renowned couturier, Cristóbal Balenciaga. He considers Cristóbal Balenciaga his mentor. Later, de la Renta left Spain to join Antonio del Castillo as a couture assistant at Lanvin in Paris.

Career

In 1963, de la Renta turned to Diana Vreeland, the editor-in-chief of Vogue for advice, saying that what he really wanted was to "get into ready to wear, because that's where the money is". Vreeland replied, "Then go to Arden because you will make your reputation faster. She is not a designer, so she will promote you. At the other place, you will always be eclipsed by the name of Dior." De la Renta proceeded to work for Arden for two years before he in 1965 went to work for Jane Derby and launched his own label. When Derby died in August 1965 Oscar de la Renta took over the label.

From 1993 to 2002, Oscar de la Renta designed the haute couture collection for the house of Balmain, becoming the first Dominican to design for a French couture house. In 2006, the Oscar de la Renta label diversified into bridal wear.

Oscar de la Renta has had the distinct honor of having his designs worn by a diverse group of distinguished women and celebrities.

The Oscar de la Renta brand saw international wholesale growth beginning in 2003, under the direction of CEO Alex Bolen, from five to seventy five locations. De la Renta's ready-to-wear designs are available in his retail stores, online, and with select wholesale partners worldwide.

Other enterprises

In 1977, de la Renta launched his fragrance, OSCAR, followed by an accessories line in 2001 and a homewares line in 2002. The new business venture included 100 home furnishings for Century Furniture featuring dining tables, upholstered chairs, and couches. In 2004, he added a less expensive line of clothing called O Oscar. De la Renta said he wanted to attract new customers whom he could not reach before.

In 2006 Oscar de la Renta designed Tortuga Bay, a boutique hotel at PUNTACANA Resort and Club. Tortuga Bay is a Leading Small Hotel of the World. and a member of Virtuoso.

Awards, honors, and philanthropic endeavors

Design awards

In 1967 and 1968, de la Renta won the Coty Award (the US fashion industry 'Oscars') and in 1973 was inducted into the Coty Hall of Fame.

From 1973 to 1976, and from 1986 to 1988, he served as President of the CFDA. He is also a two-time winner of the American Fashion Critic's Award and was inducted into the Fame in 1973.

De la Renta's talents receive continual international recognition. Among them, he received the Council of Fashion Designers Designer of the Year Award in 2000 and in 2007 (tied with Proenza Schouler). In February 1990, he was honored with the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award. King Juan Carlos of Spain bestowed de la Renta with two awards, the Gold Medal of Bellas Artes and the La Gran Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Civil. He is recognized by the French government with the Légion d'honneur as a Commandeur.

Other awards

The Dominican Republic honored him with the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sanchez and Mella and the Order of Christopher Columbus. De la Renta founded the Casa del Niño orphanage in La Romana.  He has contributed extensively in the construction of a much needed school near his home at the Punta Cana Resort and Club in Punta Cana. Óscar de la Renta holds dual citizenship in the Dominican Republic and the United States. He is an Ambassador-at-Large of the Dominican Republic.

De la Renta served as a board member of the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, and WNET. He also served on the boards of several charitable institutions such as New Yorkers for Children, the America's Society.

De la Renta was chairman of the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute.

De la Renta received an honorary degree from Hamilton College (New York) on May 26, 2013.

In February 2014, Oscar de la Renta recreated his entire Spring presentation, Designed for A Cure 2014 collection, to raise money for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Personal life

In 1967, de la Renta became the third husband of Françoise de Langlade (1921–1983), an editor-in-chief of French Vogue who once worked for the fashion house of Elsa Schiaparelli. They were married until she died of cancer in 1983. After her death, de la Renta adopted a boy from the Dominican Republic and named him Moises.

In 1989, the designer married Annette Engelhard (born 1939), daughter of Franz Mannheimer and his wife Jane née Reiss, and adoptive daughter of her mother's second husband, Charles W. Engelhard, Jr.

De la Renta had stepchildren from both marriages. His son-in-law Alex Bolen currently operates as Chief Executive Officer, and step-daughter Eliza Bolen serves as Vice President of Licensing, at Oscar de la Renta, LLC.

De la Renta was regarded as an unofficial ambassador of Dominican Republic, his home country, and held a diplomatic passport. He had homes in Casa de Campo, Punta Cana, and Kent, Connecticut.

Cancer and death

De la Renta died of complications from cancer on October 20, 2014 at his home in Kent, Connecticut at the age of 82. He had been diagnosed with cancer in 2006. A year later, at the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Executive Director Fern Mallis called him "The Sultan of Suave". At that event, he spoke of his cancer, saying:

“Yes, I had cancer. Right now, I am totally clean. The only realities in life are that you are born, and that you die. We always think we are going to live forever. The dying aspect we will never accept. The one thing about having this kind of warning is how you appreciate every single day of life.