As the creative force behind collections of at-home wear and lingerie,
evening-wear and mens-wear, Fernando Sanchez is dedicated to the
development of his lifestyle concept of clothing. Known for his rich
fabrications and bold, unorthodox use of color, Sanchez is nevertheless
most inspired by the simplified elegance of the surroundings he has
distilled into his own personal lifestyle.
Dividing his time alternately between New York City, Paris and
Marrakech, the designer explains: "I am equally stimulated by the pulse
and mystery of city streets both by day and night; by the allure of
certain women in my life; by the sumptuous colors of Morocco, the
Moorish world and the light of the Mediterranean. I draw on my memories
of Spain: the sounds of a guitar, palm trees and the indolent dreams of
harem life as it must have been. "
Fernando Sanchez was born in Spain, but lived much of his early life in
Antwerp, Belgium where his grandfather owned a shipping company. As an
only child, he led a secluded life of books and imaginary travels. At
seventeen, he went with his mother to Paris and met the prominent
Parisian designer Jacques Fath after attending his couture collection.
Fernando Sanchez later took his own fashion designs to be critiqued by
Fath, who advised his mother to enroll Fernando in the Chambre Syndicale
de la Haute Couture in Paris. "It was a classic, if uninspiring, design
education." Fernando now recalls.
An internship at the couture house of Nina Ricci followed, until he was
called to the House of Dior by Yves Saint Laurent, his boyhood friend
who, as a young designer in Paris, worked the Dior boutique and Dior
licensees, with a concentration in lingerie and knitwear for both Europe
and the United States. Sanchez' work at Dior brought him to the United
States. After several years with Dior, he accepted the offer of
Warner's, the New York based manufacturer of lingerie and home wear, to
design collections under his own label. Concurrently, he was appointed
by Revillon, the French furriers, to become their haute fourrure
designer. Undaunted by the challenge of two such diverse assignments
(not to mention the fact that he had never worked in fur before) he
accepted both contracts. For the next ten years, Fernando Sanchez was
Revillon's exclusive designer in Paris and New York. "Those years were
very creative" he says fondly.
His famous "hide-out" furs brought both fur fashion and Revillon back to
the headlines and won for Fernando Sanchez the coveted Coty Award in
l975. He received two more Coty Awards for elevating lingerie into high
fashion. He received the prestigious C.F.D.A. (Council of Fashion
Designers of America) Award for Excellence in Homeware and Lingerie in
l981, in London in l988, the Viyella Fabrex Award for his creative use
of this traditional cotton and wool fabric. It was the first time this
honor was ever awarded internationally.
In the autumn of l973, Fernando Sanchez launched his own label of
at-home wear and lingerie, expressing a lifestyle-clothing concept that
is uniquely adaptable to bed, at-home wear and all phases of leisure
living.
In l990, Sanchez received the Hispanic Fashion Designers Award for
distinction in design, and in l995 he was honored by the United States
Department of Commerce with the 1995 Salute to American Fashion
Designers Award for Excellence in American Design.
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Fernando Sanchez at HerRoomAs the creative force behind collections of at-home wear and lingerie,
evening-wear and mens-wear, Fernando Sanchez is dedicated to the
development of his lifestyle concept of clothing. Known for his rich
fabrications and bold, unorthodox use of color, Sanchez is nevertheless
most inspired by the simplified elegance of the surroundings he has
distilled into his own personal lifestyle.
Dividing his time alternately between New York City, Paris and
Marrakech, the designer explains: "I am equally stimulated by the pulse
and mystery of city streets both by day and night; by the allure of
certain women in my life; by the sumptuous colors of Morocco, the
Moorish world and the light of the Mediterranean. I draw on my memories
of Spain: the sounds of a guitar, palm trees and the indolent dreams of
harem life as it must have been. "
Fernando Sanchez was born in Spain, but lived much of his early life in
Antwerp, Belgium where his grandfather owned a shipping company. As an
only child, he led a secluded life of books and imaginary travels. At
seventeen, he went with his mother to Paris and met the prominent
Parisian designer Jacques Fath after attending his couture collection.
Fernando Sanchez later took his own fashion designs to be critiqued by
Fath, who advised his mother to enroll Fernando in the Chambre Syndicale
de la Haute Couture in Paris. "It was a classic, if uninspiring, design
education." Fernando now recalls.
An internship at the couture house of Nina Ricci followed, until he was
called to the House of Dior by Yves Saint Laurent, his boyhood friend
who, as a young designer in Paris, worked the Dior boutique and Dior
licensees, with a concentration in lingerie and knitwear for both Europe
and the United States. Sanchez' work at Dior brought him to the United
States. After several years with Dior, he accepted the offer of
Warner's, the New York based manufacturer of lingerie and home wear, to
design collections under his own label. Concurrently, he was appointed
by Revillon, the French furriers, to become their haute fourrure
designer. Undaunted by the challenge of two such diverse assignments
(not to mention the fact that he had never worked in fur before) he
accepted both contracts. For the next ten years, Fernando Sanchez was
Revillon's exclusive designer in Paris and New York. "Those years were
very creative" he says fondly.
His famous "hide-out" furs brought both fur fashion and Revillon back to
the headlines and won for Fernando Sanchez the coveted Coty Award in
l975. He received two more Coty Awards for elevating lingerie into high
fashion. He received the prestigious C.F.D.A. (Council of Fashion
Designers of America) Award for Excellence in Homeware and Lingerie in
l981, in London in l988, the Viyella Fabrex Award for his creative use
of this traditional cotton and wool fabric. It was the first time this
honor was ever awarded internationally.
In the autumn of l973, Fernando Sanchez launched his own label of
at-home wear and lingerie, expressing a lifestyle-clothing concept that
is uniquely adaptable to bed, at-home wear and all phases of leisure
living.
In l990, Sanchez received the Hispanic Fashion Designers Award for
distinction in design, and in l995 he was honored by the United States
Department of Commerce with the 1995 Salute to American Fashion
Designers Award for Excellence in American Design.
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