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Jul 24, 2017
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Dominican Foreign Ministry to honour Oscar de la Renta, the designer who never forgot his roots

By
EFE
Translated by
Erin Floyd
Published
Jul 24, 2017

The Dominican Foreign Ministry and Oscar de la Renta LLC announced on Friday the creation of the "International Prize for the Dominican Emigrant Mr. Oscar de la Renta," in honour of the late designer and global fashion icon.


Oscar de la Renta


The award was created by a decree from Dominican president Danilo Medina, and aims to celebrate the legacy and honor the memory of the designer. From now on, the prize will also recognise the emigrants "who distinguish themselves by means of their significant contributions to their resident country, contributing to the image of the Dominican Republic," according to the Dominican Chancellor, Miguel Vargas.

Vargas explained that awarding the prize to Oscar de le Renta was particularly appropriate, "because during his professional life, this exemplary Dominican united all the qualities that the Government has wanted to highlight in our fellow citizens who have settled in other nations.”

Vargas signed the agreement for the creation of the award with Alexander L. Bolen, executive director at Oscar de la Renta LLC, on Monday.

Oscar de la Renta is "a successful reference" for many Latin American professionals searching to carve their niche in the fashion world, the Dominican official said.

"His life history shows him as a model par excellence for the essential purpose for which this prize was created: motivating emigrant Dominican population and its descendants to stand out," Vargas underlined.

Born on June 22, 1932 in Santo Domingo, Oscar de la Renta lived in Madrid at the beginning of his career, where he worked with Cristóbal Balenciaga, and later moved to Paris, where he worked with Spanish artist Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, designer at Lanvin. In the late 1960s he arrived in New York, where he secured a contract as a couture designer for Elizabeth Arden. He became one of the most sought after couturiers in the United States, where he dressed two first ladies, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, on numerous occasions. He died On October 20, 2014 at age 82 at his home in Connecticut (USA) after several years battling cancer.
 

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