Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Escudero.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The Rene Ruiz label was founded in Miami in 1992 and was rebranded recently into the Rene Ruiz Collection as it’s known today and we are continuing to evolve. For 25 years, it has been the go-to place for women who need glamorous, special occasion gowns — a favorite of socialites and media personalities.
I worked alongside company founder and designer Rene Ruiz (who has not worked for the company since June 2017), on every aspect of the design process: choosing fabrics at the Premiere Vision fabric show in Paris, designing custom fabrics, overseeing entire collections through to completion, organizing and producing runway shows, and creating and tailoring custom gowns for private clients.
My parents are from Colombia. I was born in Miami Springs and graduated in 2000 from International Fine Arts College (IFAC) ― now known as Miami International University of Art & Design ― with a degree in Fashion Design. There, I learned to master the arts of pattern making, draping and how to work with fabrics and the human form. After college, I lived in Paris for a year while attending the Paris Fashion Institute, where I was able to refine my design skills and often visited the iconic fashion houses. While there, I worked with fine jewelry designer Alan Faye, whose jewelry, Alan Faye Paris, is sold in top establishments including Harrods London. I learned invaluable lessons about proportion and aesthetics from Faye during my time in Paris.
When I came back to the U.S., I became an assistant designer for Viviana Gabeiras, designer and founder of Petit Pois, a well-respected brand that manufactures women’s sportswear in Miami and sold at Nordstrom, among other retailers. After two years, I worked for several leading Miami designers, as well as designing custom gowns for private clients, before being offered the position of senior designer at the Rene Ruiz label.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The fashion business is no exception to bumpy roads and similarly to the restaurant business has an extremely high rate of failure. In regard to our brand, the bumps in the road came as we grew from a local retailer to an international wholesaler, selling to both high-end specialty stores and eventually department stores.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Rene Ruiz Collection – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
As Creative Director for Rene Ruiz Collection, I specialize in designing dazzling, entrance-making evening gowns and elegant cocktail dresses (as well as custom-designed orders) that combine sexy, modern glamour with haute couture craftsmanship that makes a woman shine anywhere from a wedding to a black-tie gala.
The Rene Ruiz Collection brand is known for its flawless fit and tailoring achieved by an internal, body-shaping bustier and the unique draping of meticulously detailed, custom-designed fabrics created in European mills. The brand is sought-after by women of all ages — from TV personalities to power brokers to globe-trotting socialites. What makes us even more special is the fact that we actually design and manufacture all of our designs so if a client needs a gown customized, we have the ability to do so in our own stores so we can truly deliver a one-of-a-kind, specialized creation.
Our label is sold nationally at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, in our two Rene Ruiz Collection boutiques in South Florida (Boca Raton and Aventura) and at over 40 high-end specialty stores worldwide, including Van Cleve, an iconic evening wear and bridal boutique that’s existed for over three decades in the Mainline in Philadelphia.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Because of high demand, we are soon expanding our line of cocktail dresses.
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
Clients come to Rene Ruiz Collection for the most important events of their lives — milestones like a daughter’s wedding, Bar Mitzvahs, a couple’s’ wedding anniversary, a prom and being the chairperson of a charity ball. Myself along with our entire team truly love being involved in and sharing in those experiences which evolve into long-standing relationships and happy clients coming back time after time.
The most rewarding part is when my clientele sends me photos of their spectacular events and they know that the Rene Ruiz Collection will be with them and their memories for a lifetime. It is also an enriching family experience because we have such a vast selection of gowns, that I end up dressing multiple family members from multiple generations.
Contact Info:
- Address: CORPORATE OFFICES
1055 East 15 Street
Hialeah, FL 33010
AVENTURA BOUTIQUE
18143 Biscayne Boulevard
Aventura, FL 33160
BOCA BOUTIQUE
2200 Glades Road #504
Boca Raton, FL 33431 - Website: https://www.reneruiz.net
- Phone: 305.445.1766
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reneruizcollection/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReneRuizCollection/
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