Narciso Rodriguez

Education Rodriguez graduated from St. Cecilia's High School, a Catholic school in Kearny, New Jersey, in 1979. He studied at Parsons in New York City, where Isaac Mizrahi was a classmate.

Career

Early career Rodriguez worked as a design assistant at Calvin Klein before becoming Women's Design Director at Anne Klein. He later worked as a design consultant at Tse Athletics and as design director of Cerruti Arte from 1995 to 1997.

Launching the Narciso Rodriguez label (1997) In 1996, Rodriguez designed the wedding dress for Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, a friend and former Calvin Klein colleague, for her marriage to John F. Kennedy Jr. The dress brought widespread attention to Rodriguez's work; he was subsequently approached by LVMH and launched his own label in 1997. That year, he showed his first fur collection under his own name for Goldin-Feldman in New York.

Loewe (1997–2001) From 1997 to 2001, Rodriguez was women's ready-to-wear designer at Loewe.

Narciso Rodriguez label (1997–present) In 2003, Rodriguez launched his first fragrance, Narciso Rodriguez for Her, inspired by a bottle of Egyptian musk oil he had been given in high school.

By 2006, Rodriguez had ended his partnership with his label's manufacturer, Aeffe, and was over $1 million in debt to his suppliers; he needed fabric donations for his spring collection. On May 5, 2007, Liz Claiborne acquired a 50% interest in the label.

Also in 2008, Rodriguez's designs appeared in the film The Women, worn by the character Mary Haines (Meg Ryan) in a runway scene.

Notable designs Rodriguez gained widespread attention in 1996 for the wedding dress of Carolyn Bessette, created for her marriage to John F. Kennedy Jr.

On November 4, 2008, Michelle Obama wore a Narciso Rodriguez dress at Grant Park in Chicago when Barack Obama first appeared as president-elect; the dress received substantial press attention. She wore Narciso Rodriguez again for her final State of the Union appearance as First Lady.

In popular culture Rodriguez is portrayed by Tonatiuh in the 2026 television mini-series Love Story.

Recognition 1997 – Best New Designer, Vogue/VH1 Fashion Awards 1997 – Perry Ellis Award for Best New Designer, CFDA 1997 – Designer of the Year, Hispanic Society of America 2002 – Womenswear Designer of the Year, CFDA 2003 – Womenswear Designer of the Year, CFDA 2007 – Fashion Icon Award, Pratt Institute