UNGARO – Fausto Puglisi

Fausto Puglisi was born in Messina and started his career exporting his talent to the USA. When he was eighteen, he moved to New York and started collaborating with worldwide known stylists such as Arriane Phillips, Patti Wilson and photographers such as David LaChapelle.

In 2006, he started his first ready-to-wear collection in Milan. In 2010 Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana appreciate Fausto Puglisi’s talent and asked him to be part of their “Young Designers” project, that gave him a great visibility inside their concept store Spiga2 in Milan. The influential Italian fashion editor Anna Dello started supporting him and wore his dramatic design all over him.

His outfits gained great success and many Hollywood celebrities have been dressing Fausto Puglisi outfits at the most important events. Fausto Puglisi loves visual culture. He is inspired by the mix between the high culture and popular elements and the result is a really complex brand identity: heroic Sicily, Italian neo-realism movies, American star system, Roman gladiators, modern architecture and the richness of the Mediterranean Baroque. His geometric creations express a rich and defined style, focusing on color contrasts and embroideries research.

His clothes embody an ideal of beauty based on strength, to design a contemporary glamour. Fausto Puglisi dresses have been worn during important events like the Super Bowl 2012 halftime show and his company is fast growing among international buyers and press, thanks to this Sicilian designer’s determination and commitment.

Fausto Puglisi was appointed as the new Creative Director of the Ungaro brand in September 2012. The new Emanuel Ungaro collection by Fausto Puglisi was shown for the Fall/Winter 2013 collections during Paris fashion week in March 2013. Mr. Puglisi has since designed a total of 11 collections, bringing energy, modernity and a sense of joie de vivre to the Emanuel Ungaro brand.

ABI FERRIN – Abbi Ferrin

Abi Ferrin has a passion for empowering women and has been doing so through her eponymous clothing line for 14 years. As a fashion designer, she has had a perfect platform to inspire women, and as a philanthropist she created her company to support women while dressing them.

From day one, Abi Ferrin has been committed to transparency in the manufacturing of her product. From her own in-house Texas atelier where 50% of her product is created to the outsourced manufacturers she selects, she personally ensures that the environments are clean and that happy people who are paid honest wages sew each garment that bears the Abi Ferrin label.

Shortly after leaving a two year relationship where she was the victim of domestic violence and credit card theft, Abi was introduced to the light of trafficked individuals, and created the Freedom Project. The Freedom Project supports organizations that rescue, rehabilitate and inspire entrepreneurial opportunities and employment for former victims of trafficking and abusive employment. Every garment of clothing that is sold comes with an item that is made by one of these organizations, and most recently her entire cashmere collaboration was made under the Freedom Project umbrella.

Abi Ferrin sells her clothes to exclusive boutiques and resorts globally, and has received much recognition for her unique approach to design and entrepreneurialism by many, including Texas Top Designer by Stanley Korshak in 2007; Excellence in Design Award by DIFFA in 2009; Featured Designer for the Super Bowl Fashion Show by the NFL Wives in 2009; inducted into the Vogue 120 in 2013; and most recently as the Champion of Human Rights Award from the Mosaic Family Services in October of 2014.

CUSHINE ET OCHS – Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs

Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs are the young designers behind the label, Cushnie et Ochs. Michelle, the 2007 designer of the Year winner from the graduating class of Parsons New School for Design, and Carly, the award’s runner-up, formed their company in 2008 upon graduation.

The duo’s first runway show for Spring 2009 received enough attention that they won the 2009 Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award and sold the collection exclusively to Bergdorf Goodman in New York. With their recent Fall 2012 collection, the brand has garnered international press recognition and sales continue to grow; the duo most recently were finalists for the 2011 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award and became CFDA members in 2012.

Heralded in a cover story in WWD, upon graduation from Parsons, Cushnie and Ochs have each been honored with design awards, scholarships, and formative internships working for designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Proenza Schouler, Donna Karan (Cushnie), and Chado Ralph Rucci, Isaac Mizrahi Couture, and Marc Jacobs (Ochs).

Together, the designers have cultivated a symbiotic bond developed during their design classes. They are able to seamlessly meld concepts they are passionate about, while finishing each other’s sentences. They have an instinctual drive to create their eponymous line together.

Carly Cushnie was raised in London and lived in Paris as a student. She brings an international sophistication that melds with the diversity and ambition of New York City. American-raised Michelle Ochs balances the aesthetic with precise discipline and order from an education in military school. The pair shares a love of art, architecture, and the female form. Together the team benefits from the ever-shifting intellectual dualities of their collaboration. The Cushnie et Ochs woman has a strong presence. She is confident, and finds beauty in the supersleek, razor-sharp minimalist designs of the collection, which reveal and conceal the curves of the female form.

The collection has an alluring sense of energy and flawless execution that is complimented by their use of color, and bold sensuality. The foundation of the brand is defined by women. By the designers themselves and their understanding and appreciation of the female body. Demonstrated through the diverse array of women wearing the brand from Eva Longoria, Liz Hurley, Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Alba, and Katy Perry to the First Lady Michelle Obama for the 30th Anniversary of the Christmas in Washington Concert.

INCLAN – Paola Contreras

Paola’s passion for design and fashion developed early in life while playing dress up in her mother’s closet. She tabled her artistic career to pursue International Business at Merrimack College from 2006 to 2010. After a brief time in the private sector, she decided to follow her heart back to Houston and began attending fashion school at the Art Institute in 2011. Before graduating, she was awarded 3rd place in the Houston “Little Black Dress Designer” competition.

She began her Fashion Design career working as lead pattern maker for Paty, Inc. Paola’s senior collection marked the launch of her first clothing label, Inclán Studio in Fall 2013. You can shop Inclán Studio at Azuz Boutique in Houston and Weinstein’s in New Orleans.

PETER COHEN – Peter Cohen

Born in Gadoma, Zimbabwe, Peter Cohen trained in Cape Town, South Africa and NYC. His designs are heavily influenced by the use of African adornment, as he prefers to focus on how the garment adorns a women’s body – focusing away from embellishment. “Fashion connects one to the present. Good design flavors one’s engagement with the world inside and around,” he states.

Not one to be concerned with being of the moment, Peter Cohen designs to develop a style that endures. Sourcing four ply silks from Korea, Italian organza, and paper-weight taffeta from France, he uses the highest grade silks available. “Women today dress more to their strengths as opposed to just following the cycle of trends. It takes confidence and a sense of one’s self to animate what you wear. Looking good counts. And the right clothes help get us into that state of mind”.

LA ISLA – Enrique Sanchez-Rivera

A native of Cali, Colombia, Enrique Sánchez-Rivera was born to be an entrepreneur. Sánchez-Rivera, 38, came to the United States in 1995 to attend the University of Connecticut, where he earned a degree in economics. He rushed to the world of finance, establishing the Latin American divisions for large mutual fund companies. Then, his sister called with an idea: She wanted to start a swimwear company from her bedroom in Colombia. Soon afterward, La Isla was created.

Sánchez-Rivera earned his MBA from the College of William & Mary and focused on La Isla full-time after spending four years as a portfolio manager at a family office business in Montecito, Calif. The success of La Isla kept building — culminating in its swimsuits being featured in the 2015 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. From the beginning, Sánchez-Rivera created La Isla with a focus on social responsibility, hiring head of household women in Colombia as well as partnering with non-profits like Jean-Michael Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society.

Most recently, La Isla has produced a line featuring recycled PET swimwear and will continue to push the boundaries of social responsibility with its upcoming products. In his free time, Sánchez-Rivera enjoys playing polo and guitar, surfing, traveling and having long conversations with his biggest inspiration, his 82-year-old hero and mother, Iris.

NORISOL FERRARI – Norisol Ferrari

Norisol Ferrari is a quintessential New Yorker. Born just outside Manhattan and of Venezuelan descent, she found her independence and love of research at a young age. Norisol worked and lived around the globe absorbing the rich cultures of Spain, Italy, England, and France which allowed her to experience firsthand the quality and workmanship of some of her most revered designers.

Upon her return to the States, Norisol turned her attention to the art of fine tailoring in New York. Norisol’s designs celebrate the strong sophisticated woman who expects the highest quality, the perfect fit and an unmatched finesse in every garment she wears. Produced in New York by the most skilled hands the city has to offer, Norisol Ferrari seeks to elevate and redefine style by constructing the most exquisite pieces born out of desire, artistry, craftsmanship and passion for excellence. Norisol continues to serve clients who seek heritage pieces that stand above the industry benchmark for luxury.

The collection is sold at fine specialty boutiques worldwide including Tootsies, Maxfields, and Bergdorfs. Norisol resides in Manhattan, shows her collection in Paris and New York, and spends much personal time thinking about warmer climates.

ANGEL SANCHEZ – Angel Sanchez

Angel Sanchez began his career as a designer in the early 90’s in Caracas, Venezuela. While his first love was architecture, his mother’s work as a designer inspired him to go into fashion himself. Having an architectural background provided Sanchez with a sense of structure and form that can be easily spotted in his collections. He pays special attention to cut, fit and proportion which is why his creations fit the women who wear them better than a glove.

His exquisite taste is what led his fashion house to rise so quickly in Latin America and eventually led him to expand internationally, when he opened the company’s headquarters in New York City. Today, Angel Sanchez is a proud member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA.) His celebrity clientele includes everyone from Taylor Swift, to Eva Longoria to Sandra Bullock who had her wedding gown designed by Sanchez.

Although Sanchez has been based in New York since 1997, he has remained loyal to his Latin-American roots throughout his career. This is why he has been working as a judge for Project-Runway Mexico since 2010. He also presents his collections at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Mexico. Angel Sanchez collections are available at luxury retailers worldwide; Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue in the United States, Frattina in Mexico City, Al Ostoura in Kuwait, Bellisima & Novarese in Japan, and Novia in Korea, amongst others.