Manuel Cuevas

Manuel Arturo José Cuevas Martínez (born on April 23, 1938 in Coalcomán Michoacán, Mexico) or just Manuel is a designer for Rock and Roll and Country acts.

History

He was born on April 23, 1938 in Coalcomán Michoacán, Mexico as the fifth of eleven children of Esperanza and José Guadalupe Cuevas. He attended the University of Guadalajara and majored in psychology.

He learned to sew and moved to Los Angeles around 1955 and worked for several tailors. Cuevas then worked for the master embroiderer, Viola Grae where he met Nudie Cohn and he became head tailor and later head designer.

Manuel worked for Cohn for fourteen years. The suits worn by The Beatles on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band have been attributed to Cuevas, although McCartney has claimed they were actually conceived by The Beatles themselves.^[1][2] and manufactured by British theatrical costumer Bermans ^[2] Cuevas has said that he designed some colorful clothes for the Beatles that became "a part" of the Sgt. Pepper uniforms.^[3]

Cuevas created Johnny Cash's black suits^{[citation needed]}, the roses and skeletons insignia of the Grateful Dead^{[citation needed]}, crafted Elvis’ signature gold lamé suit^{[citation needed]}, and an inflated lips pillow for Mick Jagger^{[citation needed]} that designer John Pasche modified into the logo for The Rolling Stones^{[citation needed]}. "Record companies call me to help fabricate personalities for their artists, "he said. "I do for artists what they need—not what they think they need."

Cuevas married Nudie Cohn's daughter, Barbara Cohn. After Cuevas and Barbara divorced, Manuel left Cohn's and opened up his own business in North Hollywood around 1975. Soon after opening his shop, Cuevas purchased a dozen sewing machines from the designer, Nathan Turk. Turk had just closed up his business, Turk of Hollywood, due to health reasons. In 1989, Cuevas moved to Nashville, Tennessee.^[4]

Awards

Cuevas has also been recognized many times for his contribution to pop culture. He was given the Hispanic Designers MODA award in 1992 and the "Intercoiffure" American Design award in 2006. Cuevas received special recognition from the Country Music Association and several awards from Cody High Style.

Clients

Compilation of Manuel's notable clientele:

Movie Stars

• Sylvester Stallone
• John Travolta
• Billy Bob Thornton
• Marlon Brando
• Burt Reynolds
• Robert Redford
• James Dean
• Vanna White
• John Wayne
• Raquel Welch
• Cory Feldman
• Clayton Moore

Performers

• Dwight Yoakam
• Los Tigres del Norte
• Alan Jackson
• Keith Urban
• Brooks & Dunn
• Neil Young
• Lorrie Morgan
• Big & Rich
• Madonna
• Trisha Yearwood
• Roy Clark
• Tanya Tucker
• Roy Orbison
• Marty Stuart
• Kenny Rogers
• Hank Williams
• Hank Williams Jr
• Hank Williams III
• Bob Dylan
• David Lee Roth
• Mike Mills R.E.M.
• ZZ Top
• k.d. lang
• Ricky Nelson
• The Beatles
• Ratt
• Aerosmith
• Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Jack White (White Stripes)
• The Jackson 5
• Keith Richards (Rolling Stones)
• Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones)
• Chicago
• Johnny Cash
• Elvis Presley
• Sonny & Cher
• John Lennon
• Bee Gees
• Mel Tillis
• Pam Tillis
• Frank Sinatra
• Sammy Davis Jr.
• Dean Martin
• Linda Ronstadt
• Emmylou Harris
• Cheap Trick
• The Beach Boys
• Grateful Dead
• Jimi Hendrix
• Elton John
• Neville Brothers
• Little Richard
• Kenny Chesney
• Montgomery Gentry
• Dolly Parton
• Doyle Lawson
• Buck Owens

Presidents

• Ronald Reagan
• George H.W. Bush
• George W. Bush
• Dwight D. Eisenhower

Visual Artists

• Salvador Dali
• Pablo Picasso

Projects

After a lifetime of achievements and countless ventures, Cuevas has chosen to give back to the country that has brought his dream to a reality. He has designed fifty jackets, full of embroidery and rhinestones, one for each of the United States. These red, white, and blue sparkling representations of American history are now traveling around the country.

A project of Manuel’s is a collaboration with Cambridge Jones, award-winning British photographer (European photographer of the year awards), making a photography book featuring Cuevas and his clients wearing their custom designs.

Additionally, Cuevas has started a not-for-profit organization, Friends of Manuel. The Friends of Manuel Foundation will financially support the Manuel Fashion Institute for the enrichment of the arts in the fashion and textiles industry. Cuevas states, "Since 1986, I have had interns from the different colleges of design. Most of them are totally unfamiliar to industrial machinery and hand sewing. My vision is to teach them all I know to prepare these interns and build confidence in them for their future careers." College seniors will be able to apply for these intensive internships where they will learn techniques that are not taught anywhere else in the world.

Cuevas currently lives right outside of Nashville and still works in the studio every day.

References

1. ^ "Transcripts: Glenn Beck". cnn.com. 2006-05-08. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0605/08/gb.01.html. Retrieved 2010-10-18. 
2. ^ ^{a b} McCartney, Paul (2000). The Beatles Anthology. Chronicle Books. p. 248. ISBN 9780304356058. 
3. ^ "Manuel Cuevas's Favorite Place on Earth". Intelligent travel. National Geographic. June 1, 2009. http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2009/06/to-compile-his-new-book.html. Retrieved 21 September 2010. 
4. ^ "Manuel's Designs". http://www.manuelcouture.com/. Retrieved 2010-10-18. 

External links

• About at nashville.about.com
• www.manuelcouture.com

Persondata
Name	Cuevas, Manuel
Alternative names	Arturo José Cuevas Martínez, Manuel
Short description
Date of birth	April 23, 1938
Place of birth	Coalcomán Michoacán, Mexico
Date of death
Place of death