"DREAM-VISION-REALITY" are three words that Raul Peñaranda lives by. The liveliness of this phrase is evident in all that he creates. I had so much fun at at his debut during New York fashion week this past September. It was my first time experiencing an entire audience up on their feet for a standing ovation at a runway show. I loved the rich saturated colors and bold details in his original couture. Because the energy & the work were so captivating I decided to bug Raul for an interview & here's our inspiring conversation!
CC: Where were you born?
RP: I was born in Cali-Colombia and grew up in Caracas -Venezuela then moved to Miami at age 24 - in 2000 moved to NYC where my started working in the fashion world for houses such as Donna Karan, Liz Claiborne, Tommy and Oscar de la Renta.
CC: Interesting background. What did you learn from your childhood that helps you today?
RP: I learned to stay true to myself and believe that nothing is impossible and miracles take a little bit longer (phrases that my mom and dad always thought me) - I come from nothing but I know where I'm going and it's all about "DREAM-VISION-REALITY". when fear is out of the equation there is nothing but success.
CC: At what moment did you know you were a designer?
RP: You are born with that feeling. I felt that was only a matter of time for that to happen. Always knew that I will be a designer and will continue work very hard for it. in my mind my goal is to become the next power fashion house for the next generation. If Dior, Valentino, YSL and others did - why can't I?
CC: You can! Just out of curisity, if you hadn't fallen into fashion, what do you think you'd be doing?
RP: I never give up on anything I put my mind to it. Fashion is my one and only option. I grew up in a middle-low class family and for me dreaming was the only option to make that vision a reality and let me tell you....IT WORKS!
CC: Your collection was lovely and very sprited. What inspired it?
RP: It was all about "DREAM-VISION-REALITY". The concept “Uptown meets Williamsburg is about two opposite elements that collide and create an emotion, it’s about mixing unexpected materials to create an element of surprise and interest. It’s about vulnerability is about imperfect beauty.”
CC: What do you want to do next?
RP: Continue working hard on my next collection, learning, evolving and above all providing my costumer what they want; a quality product that is an extension of one's personality. I will never stop learning and that's the beauty of life. I'm already dreaming of how my next collection is going to look. "DREAM-VISION-REALITY"
I'm "ready-to-wear" this! My favorite dress from the collection.
You may remember this cutie from a previous post
Raul & a friend after the show
photos : Lesley Williams © 2010
