Cynthia Rowley

About The Brand

Cynthia Rowley is a leading global lifestyle brand sold in over 60-freestanding collection boutiques, as well as in department, specialty, and online stores worldwide. Brimming with energy, Cynthia Rowley imbues a sense of adventure in all of her design projects, be it wetsuits or her ready-to-wear. While attending the Art Institute of Chicago (where she had every intention of becoming a painter), Rowley fell into fashion when a local department store buyer discovered her on the train. That initial interest gave Cynthia the confidence to move to NYC where she went on to win the CFDA award for best new talent, became a best-selling author and has appeared on TV shows such as Project Runway, Letterman and The Today Show. She was named Designer of the Year at the American Image Awards last spring, and continues to bring innovative design concepts to new categories that extend beyond the realm of fashion. The Cynthia Rowley brand currently includes sportswear and related accessories with additional categories including swimsuits; wetsuits; beauty; Rowley Eyewear, an ecommerce site[1] featuring eyewear collections[2] for both men and women; and ROWLEY, a recently launched fitness collection.[3]


Early life and career

Rowley is a native of Barrington, Illinois, an affluent northwestern suburb of Chicago.[4] She is one of three children born to Ed Rowley, a former science teacher, and his wife, Clementine, who was a painter.[5][6][4] Rowley made her first dress at age seven, and came from an artistically inclined family – her grandparents included the designer of the Pabst Blue Ribbon logo and a painter.[7] She graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago[8][9] Rowley was kicked out of her junior year art show at SAIC because her use of wings in her design was seen as over the top.[7] In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Rowley said that Marshall Field's had bought her first collection while she was still a student at SAIC.[7]

Fashion career

Rowley won an SAIC fellowship award in her senior year and used the money to move from Chicago to New York City.[7] She then launched her career with $3,000 in seed money from one of her grandmothers.[10] A few months after moving to New York City to further her fashion career, she organized a fashion show in her apartment and invited movie stars, fashion editors, and Andy Warhol – none of whom she knew and none of whom attended."[11][12]

Since Rowley launched her first capsule collection,[4] has grown to include women's wear, handbags,[4] glasses, color cosmetics, fragrance,[4] wetsuits and swimwear,[4] home furnishings,[13][14] bedding products,[15] and office accessories, the last in partnership with Staples.[16]

Rowley introduced her first menswear collection in 1998, as well as a women's secondary line, Rowley by Cynthia Rowley, both licensed to Italian sportswear manufacturer Stile Moda SpA.[17][18] The designer also created a line of home accessories called Swell, based on a book series she co-wrote with friend Ilene Rosenzweig, which made its debut at Target in 2003.[10] It was announced in November 2009 that Rowley would be redesigning the uniforms for United Airlines, but the deal fell apart after its merger with Continental Airlines.[19][20][21]In 2011 Rowley presented the Mr. Powers collection, a limited menswear range named after her husband Bill Powers.[22]

Rowley's fashions are presented bi-annually at New York Fashion Week. Signature Cynthia Rowley stores are in New York City, Charleston, Chicago, Boston, Montauk, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, as well as at the company's web store.[23] The collection is also represented in department and specialty stores both domestically and internationally. Rowley sought a broad range of licensing agreements to make her business a lifestyle brand instead of just a fashion brand.[4]

Rowley's designs were described by The New York Times as "flirty, vibrantly colored dresses and tops in wispy materials"[24] that have "a whiff of the carefree, simple spirit" of Claire McCardell.[25]

Awards

The Council of Fashion Designers of America honored Rowley with a Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent in 1994.[26][27] In 2012, Rowley was given the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Legend of Fashion award, alongside her husband Bill Powers.[28][7] In 2015, Rowley won the Designer of the Year award at the 37th Annual American Apparel and Footwear Association American Image Awards.[29]

Television and books

Rowley has appeared as a judge on the reality television programs 24 Hour Catwalk,[6] America's Next Top Model, Project Runway and Design Star and has been a guest on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and the Late Show with David Letterman, among other programs.

She has written and co-written several books:

Personal life

She married William (Bill) Keenan, an interior designer, sculptor, and landscape architect, in 1996 (divorced); the officiant was Rudolph W. Giuliani, then the mayor of New York City.[11] They have a daughter, Kit [30] (born 1999).[31]

Rowley married William (Bill) Powers, an art dealer, co-owner of the Half Gallery in Manhattan's Lower East Side, and writer, on September 17, 2005, at the home of photographer Peter Beard.[6][32] They have a daughter, Gigi Clementine (born 2005).[33]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.cynthiarowley.com
  2. ↑ https://rowleyeyewear.com
  3. ↑ http://www.cynthiarowley.com/brand/about/about-cynthia/
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Cynthia Rowley enters the high-tech world of fashion". Sun-Times National. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  5. ↑ Parnes, Francine (2004-02-08). "Business People; Mom, Dad, Size 14 Furs: Who Says Fashion Is Elitist?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  6. 1 2 3 Morris, Bob (2012-03-16). "Cynthia Rowley and Bill Powers Are Everywhere at Once". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Remarkable Woman: Cynthia Rowley". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  8. ↑ "How to have a `Swell' time for $75". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  9. ↑ "SAIC — News — School of the Art Institute of Chicago". www.saic.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  10. 1 2 Finn, Robin (2003-08-14). "PUBLIC LIVES; A Patron of the Arts, as Seen in a Sponge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  11. 1 2 Brady, Lois Smith (1996-05-19). "WEDDINGS: VOWS;Cynthia Rowley, Bill Keenan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  12. ↑ nymag.com Designer's bio: Cynthia Rowley retrieved on November 9, 2009
  13. ↑ "Hooker Furniture to launch line with fashion brand Cynthia Rowley | Furniture Today". www.furnituretoday.com. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  14. ↑ "Fashion designer Cynthia Rowley sets her sights on furniture". The Hamilton Spectator. 2015-11-23. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  15. ↑ "An introduction to Cynthia Rowley bedding products". 2014-08-21. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  16. ↑ Keller, Hadley (March 31, 2015). "Cynthia Rowley’s Chic Office Line for Staples | Architectural Digest". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  17. ↑ Givhan, Robin (1998-02-07). "ON WITH THE NEW". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  18. ↑ Anne-Marie Schiro, Cynthia Rowley's New Lines, The New York Times, February 3, 1998
  19. ↑ "Cynthia Rowley to design new uniforms for United Airlines". www.sassybella.com. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  20. ↑ Yancey, Kitty Bean. "United on board with new uniforms". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  21. ↑ Bertagnoli, Lisa (April 24, 2015). "You'll never guess which famed fashion designers are from Chicago". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  22. ↑ "With Menswear, Cynthia Rowley Shares Bill Powers's Secrets". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  23. ↑ "Cynthia Rowley — Where To Buy". www.cynthiarowley.com. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  24. ↑ Rozhon, Tracie (2003-02-13). "Fashion Designer Sticks to a Solo Course". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  25. ↑ White, Constance C. R. (1998-11-17). "Celebrating Claire McCardell". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  26. ↑ Brozan, Nadine (1994-11-18). "CHRONICLE". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  27. ↑ Michelle Ingrassia, "Fashion: Dress for Success—Cynthia Rowley Moves To The Front Of The Pack", Newsweek, November 13, 1995
  28. ↑ "SAIC to Honor Alumnus Cynthia Rowley". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  29. ↑ "AAFA American Image Awards Draws Star-Studded Crowd". Reuters. 2015-04-30. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  30. ↑ "Designer Cynthia Rowley's Back-to-School Style", People Magazine, September 1, 2014
  31. ↑ Iovine, Julie V. (2000-06-08). "LIVING IN A NUTSHELL; Shangri-La in a Shack". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  32. ↑ "FASHION BITES". Vogue UK. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  33. ↑ "James Frey Brings His Daughter for a Playdate at Cynthia Rowley's Show". The New York Observer

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