Narciso Rodriguez

• Name — Narciso Rodríguez • Birth Name — Narciso Jesus Rodriguez III[1] • Born — January 27, 1961 • Birthplace — Newark, New Jersey, U.S. • Education — The New School (Parsons division) • Label Name — Narciso Rodríguez • Awards — CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year (2002, 2003)

Rodriguez was born in Newark, New Jersey, the eldest child and only son of Cuban parents, Narciso Rodríguez Sanchez II, a longshoreman, and Rawedia María Rodríguez.[2][3] His paternal grandfather was born on the Canary Islands. His parents opposed his entering fashion.[4]

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.[5]

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.[6][7]

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.[9]

From 1997 to 2001, Rodriguez was women's ready-to-wear designer at Loewe.[10]

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.[11] On May 5, 2007, Liz Claiborne acquired a 50% interest in the label. In 2008, Rodriguez bought the stake back for $12 million.[12] Also in 2008, Rodriguez's designs appeared in the film The Women, worn by the character Mary Haines (Meg Ryan) in a runway scene.

Rodriguez gained widespread attention in 1996 for the wedding dress of Carolyn Bessette, created for her marriage to John F. Kennedy Jr. The bias-cut silk slip was a minimalist departure from the voluminous bridal silhouettes of the era. Rodriguez designed the wedding gown for his assistant Stephanie Mikesell's marriage to Mark Madoff, eldest son of Bernie Madoff.[13] 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.[14] She wore Narciso Rodriguez again for her final State of the Union appearance as First Lady.[15]

Rodriguez is portrayed by Tonatiuh in the 2026 television mini-series Love Story.[16]

• 1997 – Best New Designer, Vogue/VH1 Fashion Awards[17] • 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