Fabiola Arias is a

Cuban American Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cuban descent or t ...

fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Early life and education

Arias was born on June 19, 1987, in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. Her mother is Cuban designer Anilu Oms, from whom Arias learned the art of design. Arias has incorporated her mother's

Fascinator A fascinator is a formal headpiece, a style of millinery. Since the 1990s, the term has referred to a type of formal headwear worn as an alternative to the hat; it is usually a large decorative design attached to a band or clip. In contrast to ...

headpieces into her collection. Arias also cites the influence of her father, a journalist with a love of 1950s

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, in her designs. Arias attended high school at

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Design and Architecture High School Design and Architecture Senior High School (DASH) is a magnet secondary school in the heart of the Design District in Miami, Florida, United States. '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked DASH as the 15th best public high school in the nation in ...

. She cites the influence of her painting, drawing and sculpture studies as major influences in her design work. In Fall 2006, Arias moved to New York City to attend the

Parsons Parsons may refer to: Places In the United States: * Parsons, Kansas, a city * Parsons, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Parsons, Tennessee, a city * Parsons, West Virginia, a town * Camp Parsons, a Boy Scout camp in the state of Washingto ...

where she studied Fashion Design. As a student, Arias interned for

Narciso Rodriguez Narciso Jesus Rodriguez III (; born January 27, 1961) is an American fashion designer. Early life and education Rodriguez was born in Newark, New Jersey, the eldest child and only son of Cuban parents. His parents, Narciso Rodríguez Sanchez I ...

and

Marc Jacobs Marc Jacobs (born April 9, 1963) is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for his own fashion label, Marc Jacobs, and formerly Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, which was produced for approximately 15 years, before it was d ...

Career

In 2008, while still a senior at Parsons, Arias started her own company. The first store to pick up her line was

Ikram Ikram is a unisex given name and surname. Surname *Aamir Ikram (born 1960), Pakistani cricketer *Muhammed Ikram (born 1988), Pakistani footballer *Nassar Ikram SI(M), an active two-star ranked Pakistan's Naval official * S. M. Ikram (1908–1973) ...

in Chicago. After graduating Parsons, Arias presented her first collection during

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...

. Her presentation won her a contract with

Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. is an American integrated luxury retailer headquartered in Dallas, Texas, which owns Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Horchow, and Last Call. Since September 2021, NMG has been owned by a group of investment compani ...

where her Spring 2010 gowns were placed in their couture salon. Neiman Marcus featured one of Arias's gowns on their March 2010 catalogue cover. The collection is now carried in eight Neiman Marcus couture salons across the country. In 2009, Arias won a sponsorship from the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese designer incubator Shinmai Creator's Project. Only four designers are chosen each year from around the world. The jury was the President and Representative Director of Chanel in Japan, Chief Editor of the Elle Magazine Paris and the President of Issey Miyake. Winning the sponsorship allowed her to present her Fall 2011 collection at Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo. In 2011

Fashion Group International The Fashion Group International (FGI) is a global, non-profit, professional organization founded in 1930 in New York City to benefit the fashion industry. FGI currently has over 5000 members in the fashion industry including apparel, accessories, b ...

awarded Arias with the "Rising Star" award in their

Womenswear Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion ind ...

category. Arias won

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

's Gold Coast award when she presented her Fall 2011 collection in front of an audience of 1,300 at the

Hilton Chicago The Hilton Chicago (also known as Chicago Hilton and Towers) is a centrally-located luxury hotel in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The hotel is a Chicago landmark that overlooks Grant Park, Lake Michigan, and the Museum Campus. It is the third ...

Vanidades ''Vanidades'' (Spanish for ''Vanities'') is one of the most popular Spanish language women's magazines. Published by Editorial Televisa across the United States and Hispanic America, it was launched in Cuba in February 1937 by Editorial Carteles ...

honored Arias at their Icons of Style Gala as Best Young Designer.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arias, Fabiola American fashion designers 1987 births Living people People from Havana American women fashion designers Cuban emigrants to the United States 21st-century American women