Jetting Off the Runway
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David Rodriguez earned success from humble beginnings – a shiny pair of scissors and a scholarship from the Future Homemakers of America.
David Rodriguez’s designs are impressive at first glance – the juxtaposition of images from an era gone by in combination with innovative contemporary vision can’t help but draw immediate attention. His clothing has adorned the likes of Kirsten Dunst, Oprah Winfrey, Jodie Foster, Carmen Electra, Carol Alt, Jessica Alba, Lisa Rinna, Heidi Klum, Kristen Davis, and Toni Braxton and has been worn on hit television shows such as “Sex in the City” and “Friends.”
Mr. Rodriguez’s interest in fashion design began at an early age while growing up in Indio, Calif. His family has always had a very strong sense of their Mexican heritage and culture, actively participating in cultural and religious events such as the annual Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day Parades, as well as Christmas posadas (a “novena” – nine days of private or public devotion in the Catholic Church to obtain special graces) or re-enactments of St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary searching for lodging before Christ’s birth. Mr. Rodriguez would ride his horse in the parades dressed in a charro outfit, and his school would have Cinco de Mayo celebrations in which he danced in the school program. His mother, grandmother, and aunt would help organize the Christmas posadas and he remembers playing different roles.” I think I was Joseph one year,” he reflects.
Mr. Rodriguez was probably the only eighth grader who subscribed to Vogue magazine and was awarded a scholarship from the Future Homemakers of America that helped him attend the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles.
When Mr. Rodriguez went looking for his first job in fashion, there were only two designers based in Los Angeles that interested him – one was James Galanos, who had a very proper American couture business, and the other was Richard Tyler, who had a very dramatic look. He interviewed with Mr. Tyler in his studio, which at the time was across the street from the Greyhound Bus depot on 7th St. in downtown Los Angeles, and was hired as an assistant designer. “It was so great to be a part of this world of amazing clothes in this seedy part of downtown” says Mr. Rodriguez.
He went on to develop his own clothing lines, and his designs can be found in retail stores and boutiques throughout North America. Some of the many awards Mr. Rodriguez has received include the Hispanic Designers MODA award for design excellence, and he was inducted as a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2001.
