Oscar de la Renta is chairman and chief designer for Oscar de la Renta Ltd., the American fashion house whose heritage is steeped in ready-to-wear. Steady expansion over four decades has brought offerings in fragrance, furniture, lingerie, accessories, eyewear and bridal.

De la Renta studied painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. He then apprenticed as an illustrator for the innovative Spanish couturier, Cristóbal Balenciaga, before heading to Paris, where he was a couture assistant at the Lanvin fashion house. Sketching for others took a back seat to design when he discovered haute couture with all its attendant jewels, feathers and embellishments.

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However, it was ready-to-wear that captivated de la Renta. In 1965, he and his former partner Gerald Shaw established his signature Oscar de la Renta label. They incorporated exquisite detailing for the elegant dressing favored by American first ladies and celebrities. His Oscar fragrance for women gained popularity in the late 1970s. He is also a former president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.