LAZARO HERNANDEZ
Year of Birth
1978
Place of Birth
Miami, FL
Undergrad
Parsons
Neighborhood
Chelsea
Website
www.proenzaschouler.com
Who
One half of the Proenza Schouler design team, Hernandez is a Seventh Avenue wonder boy, adored by downtown scenesters and Upper East Side social fixtures alike.
Backstory
A Cuban-American from south Florida, Hernandez was pre-med when he decided he'd rather go into fashion, dropping out of the University of Miami to move to New York to enroll at Parsons. His lucky day arrived three years later when, as a third year student, he ended up on the same plane as Anna Wintour. Too nervous to talk to her, he detailed his passion for design on a napkin (or air sickness bag, depending on the version of the story) and slipped it under her martini glass (or asked a flight attendant to give it to her). As the apocryphal tale goes, Wintour then passed the note on to Michael Kors, who offered Hernandez an internship a few weeks later.
But it was Hernandez's final thesis, completed in partnership with fellow Parsons student Jack McCollough, that vaulted the Proenza Schouler brand to insta-fame: So impressed was Barneys queen buyer Julie Gilhart that she snapped up the duo's entire collection in one fell swoop, even though the buying season was over. A German investor named Markus Höfels stepped in with funding shortly thereafter and Proenza Schouler was off and running. It's been quite a ride for the duo since then. Their debut collection in 2003 generated rave reviews and earned them the CFDA/Perry Ellis award for new talent (they beat out Zac Posen and Behnaz Sarafpour), and they soon established themselves as two of the most beloved designers on the scene.
Of note
Although they've been fashion darlings for a few years now and have a long list of socialite and celeb fans—Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Tory Burch, Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer, Demi Moore, Kyra Sedgwick—Hernandez and McCollough didn't really become household names until 2007 when they moved beyond dressing starlets and introduced a lower-priced collection at Target. The line was a huge hit (so successful, in fact, it was exported to Paris, the first time that's happened with a line from Tarzhay). But bigger things are in the works. Hernandez and McCollough have found a mentor/advisor in former Burberry chief Rose Marie Bravo, one of the most respected execs in fashion, and recently announced plans to launch a shoe line. After buying out their German investor, they negotiated a deal in September 2007 to sell a 45 percent stake in the label to Valentino for $3.7 million. The relatively low valuation led to speculation that the duo would take over for Valentino after his planned retirement. Alas, the legendary designer was overruled by Permira, the London-based private equity firm that controls Valentino, and Alessandra Facchinetti was picked instead.
For the record
It's pronounced Pro-EN-za SKOO-ler. The name was created using their mothers' maiden names.
Personal
Hernandez and McCollough—who have matching tattoos behind their left ears—were romantically involved until late 2005. It was then, as the story goes, that McCollough began an affair with the insufferable scenester (and former Vogue assistant) Derek Blasberg, which prompted Hernandez to hook up with Blasberg's model boyfriend. Fortunately, their professional relationship has weathered the shenanigans. Hernandez lives on West 21st Street.
source: city file
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