Marisol Deluna

Infobox Fashion Designer


image_size =140px
caption =Marisol Deluna at the "Cowgirls Live Forever" Fashion Show 2007
name =Marisol Patricia Deluna
nationality =American
birth_date =Birth date and age|1967|06|20
birth_place =flagicon|USA San Antonio, Texas
label_name =Marisol Deluna New York

Marisol Patricia Luna (born June 20, 1967, in San Antonio, Texas), also known as Marisol Deluna, is an American fashion designer who specializes in couture apparel yet is most noted for her custom designed silk scarves and ties that target an unorthodox customer base in the fashion industry: non-profit organizations.Citation
last = Tavitas-Williams
first = Jeanie
title = S.A. museum inspires N.Y. designer's commissioned pieces
newspaper = San Antonio Express Newspaper USA
year = 2007
date = December 12, 2007
url = http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/stories/MYSA120607.03F.Deluna.669f1e.html]

Early years

In the first grade, her own "House of Deluna" specialized in the creation of multi tier ballgowns for a royal smart set of pretty princesses.Citation
title = Alamo Heights alum makes mark on design world
newspaper = North San Antonio Times USA
year = 2000
date = October 5, 2000] Citation
title = New York City Web StoreUSA
url = http://www.nycwebstore.com/deluna.aspx ] While in middle school, she paid a fellow classmate five dollars to sew a skirt of her own design for a homemaking class assignment. This would later be known as her first time to rely on production outsourcing. During her high school years, a special art class was offered just for Marisol to work on school projects. These tasks included drama productions, fundraising and advertising to promote school spirit. She received the "Most Artistic Senior" Award upon graduation.

One of five children, she grew up in a house of her father's design in the San Antonio, Texas suburb of Alamo Heights.Citation
title = Alamo Heights alum makes mark on design world
newspaper = North San Antonio Times USA
year = 2000
date = October 5, 2000] Her upbringing was typically suburban in all aspects of her early teen years. Babysitting was her main source of employment. She spent her free time shopping at a local mall, playing video games at 7-Eleven, watching MTV with friends and playing tennis.Citation
title = Campus de Excelencia 2008, Gran Canaria, Spain
year = 2008
date = June 23,2008
url = http://www.campusdeexcelencia.org/2008/docs/whoiswho.pdf] Always admiring her mother's Mikimoto pearls, she lived by the writings of the 1980 Lisa Birnbach's "Official Preppy Handbook" by dressing the part to prepdom perfection and attending Cotillion.Citation
title = Campus de Excelencia 2008, Gran Canaria, Spain
year = 2008
date = June 23,2008
url = http://www.campusdeexcelencia.org/2008/docs/whoiswho.pdf] This was until her grandfather gifted her a random pair of military issued combat boots which began a short lived 80's "punk" era that quickly merged into a quirky "hippie" stage that followed her into art school.Citation
title = Campus de Excelencia 2008, Gran Canaria, Spain
year = 2008
date = June 23,2008
url = http://www.campusdeexcelencia.org/2008/docs/whoiswho.pdf]

Name change

At 18, Marisol legally changed her surname "Luna" to "Deluna".Citation
title = WEDDINGS; Marisol Deluna, Jonathan Cole
newspaper = New York Times USA
year = 1999
date = June 13, 1999
url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EFDC1638F930A25755C0A96F958260] This is her paternal family's original Spanish name before immigrating to the United States from Barcelona, Spain.Citation
title = Campus de Excelencia 2008, Gran Canaria, Spain
year = 2008
date = June 23,2008
url = http://www.campusdeexcelencia.org/2008/docs/whoiswho.pdf] Her Spanish lineage also traces from her mother's family from Trevino, Spain and a migration of her paternal grandmother's family from Spain through Monterrey, Mexico before settling in the United States.Citation
title = Everything you need to know about Latino History
chapter = Famous Latinos
last = Novas
first = Himilce
year = 2008
url=http://books.google.com/books] From Spanish to English, her last name "Deluna" literally translates to "Of moon".Citation
title = Translation / Deluna
year = 2008
date = March 8, 2008
url = http://world.altavista.com/tr] Additionally, the common Spanish name "Marisol" (contraction of María del Sol) means "Mary of the Sun".

"Quotation| Although my heart is in the United States, my soul runs deep throughout Spain. It embraces me every time I return. Effortlessly, my heritage appears in the manner in which I live life daily and certainly in the sensibility of my creative endeavors. Family is important to me. I will never forget the joy it brought my Grandfather when our name was reclaimed.| Marisol Deluna, Campus de Excelencia, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain (2008)

Education

In 1985, Deluna graduated from Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio, Texas.Citation
last = Elliot
first = Steve
title = New York fashion designer, Alamo Heights alum designs scarf sold at SA Rodeo
newspaper = North San Antonio Times USA
year = 2008
date = February 7, 2008 http://www.clickitsa.com/content/view/17892/43/] She then earned a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute with honors and studied fashion and textile design at the New York Fashion Institute of Technology.Citation
title = WEDDINGS; Marisol Deluna, Jonathan Cole
newspaper = New York Times USA
year = 1999
date = June 13, 1999
url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EFDC1638F930A25755C0A96F958260 ] Marisol later attended Parsons School of Design for marketing and business while preparing to start her company. Studying language at the Cervantes Institute in New York, the Ayres de Espanol in Buenos Aires and the Alliance Française in Paris and New York has enabled Marisol to be trilingual.

Company history

Her career began in New York's Garment District of the borough of Manhattan in 1989 the day following her college graduation. She worked with several fashion design houses before creating her own atelier Deluna By Design, Inc. in 1997 selling under the brand label- "Marisol Deluna New York".Citation
last = Dougherty
first = Tim
title = Designing Woman
newspaper = Hispanic Business Magazine USA
year = 2003
date = January, 2003] She started her company from her Central Park West apartment, selling primarily to friends and family members. After her first and only trade show, this fledgling company quickly outgrew her dining room table. Her ateliers are located worldwide including New York, Buenos Aires and Paris.Citation
last = Dougherty
first = Tim
title = Designing Woman
newspaper = Hispanic Business Magazine USA
year = 2003
date = January, 2003] [http://www.fashionmission.nl/Fashion-Accessories-Accessories-Marisol-Deluna--0099730007.dfs "Fashion Mission - Marisol Deluna"] , Netherlands, March 15, 2005.] She is an Executive Member of the "Fashion Group International".Citation
last = McEldowney
first = Tracey
title = Overheard
newspaper = Ragtrader Fashion Newspaper Australia
year = 2007
date = November 30, 2007]

Product line

Offering a signature collection of textiles, handbags, accessories and couture apparel, Marisol is most noted for her custom designed silk scarves and ties that target an unorthodox customer base in the fashion industry: non-profit organizations.Citation
last = Tavitas-Williams
first = Jeanie
title = S.A. museum inspires N.Y. designer's commissioned pieces
newspaper = San Antonio Express-News USA
year = 2007
date = December 12, 2007
url = http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/stories/MYSA120607.03F.Deluna.669f1e.html] Citation
title = Fashion Designer Marisol Deluna
Country = USA
date = August 9, 2006
url = http://designers-network.com/archives/2006/08/] Her company is structured with two product divisions.Citation
last = Elliot
first = Steve
title = New York fashion designer, Alamo Heights alum designs scarf sold at SA Rodeo
newspaper = North San Antonio Times USA
year = 2008
date = February 7, 2008 http://www.clickitsa.com/content/view/17892/43/] A signature collection and her non-profit endeavors. Both support the other and have done so since the inception of the company. While in her high school student council and later as a member of the New York Junior League, she saw that charitable endeavors require vital financial support and marketing. She merged the idea of fundraising with her design capabilities to address these issues.Citation
last = Jackson
first = Leigh-Ann
title = Life & Arts- Knot for Texans only
newspaper = Austin American Statesman Newspaper USA
year = 2002
date = August 22, 2002]

Craftsmanship

Her signature look is developed by "old school" methods for a high tier customer base. Computer aids are rarely relied upon in the initial development of her designs as she continues to use paint and ink to create her conceptual drawings. She learned this from her father's lead, Rudolfo Sanchez Luna, a retired technically trained aerial cartographer before computers were commonly used.Citation
title = WEDDINGS; Marisol Deluna, Jonathan Cole
newspaper = New York Times USA
year = 1999
date = June 13, 1999
url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EFDC1638F930A25755C0A96F958260 ] Skilled craftsmen manually silk screen her designs in mass production while each seamstress continues to sew her piece goods by hand.

The ability to tell a meaningful story without depending on "cookie cutter" imagery throughout her collection is what make her designs so clever. This is due in part to Marisol's love of historical studies and various cultures. She researches every suitable subject matter before creating her designs.Citation
last = Tavitas-Williams
first = Jeanie
title = S.A. museum inspires N.Y. designer's commissioned pieces
newspaper = San Antonio Express-News USA
year = 2007
date = December 12, 2007
url = http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/stories/MYSA120607.03F.Deluna.669f1e.html] Citation
last = Baker
first = Anne Pimlott
publisher = Profile Books
title = The Pilgrims of the United States- A Centennial Story United Kingdom
year = 2003]

"Quotation|You just know a design is right when she completes it. Every detail has been closely considered and nothing is left to chance.| Sally de Barcza, Historical Conservationist, W3R New Jersey USA (2006)

Clientele

Marisol believes her clients appreciate fashionable items that have meaning on a personal level yet create betterment for others. Her designs are considered timeless and worn in a variety of styles to suit women of all generations. HM Queen Elizabeth II is a patron of one such organization and was presented a special scarf of Marisol's design. [http://www.fashionmission.nl/Fashion-Accessories-Accessories-Marisol-Deluna--0099730007.dfs "Fashion Mission - Marisol Deluna"] , Netherlands, March 15, 2005.]

She additionally has created designs for various municipalities, educational institutions, fraternal and social organizations including the Daughters of the British Empire, Girl Scouts of the USA, American Yacht Club, Associations of Junior Leagues International, Colonial Dames of America, Alpha Phi Foundation, San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, City of New York, Wellesley College and the Smithsonian to mention a few. [http://www.shinystyle.tv/2007/09/intricate-scarf-designs-by-mar-1-072107.html "ShinyStyle: Intricate scarf designs by Marisol Deluna"] . Shiny Style TV USA, September 11, 2007.] Notables owning her designs include Senator Hillary Clinton, First Lady Laura Bush, Texas Governor Rick Perry, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the late former Governor of Texas Ann Richards and late former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson.Citation
last = Elliot
first = Steve
title = New York fashion designer, Alamo Heights alum designs scarf sold at SA Rodeo
newspaper = North San Antonio Times USA
year = 2008
date = February 7, 2008 http://www.clickitsa.com/content/view/17892/43/]

"Quotation|Marisol's designs are highly spirited. She remains true to herself while capturing the essence of others.|The late philanthropist Henry Luce III, The Henry Luce Foundation. New York, New York USA (2002)

Pop culture

As seen in the popular American daytime soap opera General Hospital, Marisol was written into the script as part of a story line of an episode that aired on January 2, 2008. In the scene, a dialogue between two characters mentions her as a fashion designer of good taste. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOtWlPg0WzE "General Hospital - ABC Television, USA January 2, 2008"] , "Youtube", January 2, 2008.]

Charitable endeavors

Mentorship and philanthropy

Marisol believes that site visits allow teaching art to orphans, introducing inner city students to fashion career options, mentoring at settlement houses, public schools, women's organizations and for those in need of guidance to begin their own companies. The "New York Times" After School Program, Girl Scouts of the USA, the Junior League, LULAC, Friends of the Orphans and Campus de Excelencia are a few outlets that have allowed her outreach to others.Her monetary donations to charities go beyond simply writing checks. She supports various causes globally by gifting her time and money to enhance the lives of others.Citation
last = Elliot
first = Steve
title = New York fashion designer, Alamo Heights alum designs scarf sold at SA Rodeo
newspaper = North San Antonio Times USA
year = 2008
date = February 7, 2008 http://www.clickitsa.com/content/view/17892/43/] Marisol appreciates seeing change occur first hand.Citation
last = Elliot
first = Steve
title = New York fashion designer, Alamo Heights alum designs scarf sold at SA Rodeo
newspaper = North San Antonio Times USA
year = 2008
date = February 7, 2008 http://www.clickitsa.com/content/view/17892/43/] Mentoring has always been vital in her success. From an early age, Marisol was encouraged to be productive with her creativity.Citation
title = Alamo Heights alum makes mark on design world
newspaper = North San Antonio Times USA
year = 2000
date = October 5, 2000]

"Quotation|"Being a mentor or mentee are of equal importance to me, as I have been both."|Marisol Deluna New York Times After School Program, New York, New York USA (2005)"

ocial affiliations

At the age of seven, the Girl Scouts of the USA was the first social outlet Marisol held a . Currently, she is in good standing with several notable social institutions worldwide including the Junior League, Lansdowne Club in London, University Club of Chicago, Pilgrim Society of the United States and Great Britain, New York Athletic Club, NYAC Yacht Club and United States Tennis Association among others."Quotation|One might think of her as a "Clubist", however she is far from one. Marisol treats this one like a second home.|The late Sara Manley, New York Junior League, New York, NY USA (2000)

Marisol married her longtime friend, attorney Jonathan Washburn Cole on June 12, 1999 at the New York Junior League in Manhattan. While she continues to use her family name professionally, her legal name is Marisol Patricia Deluna-Cole.Citation
title = Style Section WEDDINGS; Marisol Deluna, Jonathan Cole
newspaper = New York Times USA
year = 1999
date = June 13, 1999
url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EFDC1638F930A25755C0A96F958260 ] Marisol and Jonathan have no children and live in multiple cities.

References

External links

* [http://www.marisoldeluna.com Official website]