Man of the Moment: Oscar Fierro with Deb Smouse
Oscar Fierro combines his passion with inspiration to create a fashion line filled with sexy silhouettes, modern elegance, embellished details and a fabulous fit. He has a boutique in Dallas, Texas.
Tell us a little about yourself:
I’m thirty-four years old and came to Texas from El Salvador in 1989. When I first came to the United States, I worked in nursing homes and began saving for my dream of being a fashion designer. I released my first line in 2008. My goal is to be a leader in the fashion industry. You establish yourself and let people follow you.
Tell me about your work before you began designing
I began as a Nurses assistant while in college, then moved into social work and administration in nursing homes. I began to specialize with Alzheimer’s patients and began purchasing homes geared specifically for those patients. Today, I own five homes for Alzheimer’s patients. In the care of Alzheimer’s patients, families cannot do it all. Through the disease, the patient becomes another person. Centers like mine allow them to be safe while in an assisted living situation. While an administrator, I began Beauty Pageants and folks from Avon and Mary Kay came in and did the patients makeup and we turned the dining hall into a disco. It was a big party and an opportunity for the patients to have fun.
It was a way for me to link my passion for glamour with my love for the elderly.
That’s wonderful. Tell me more about your designs
I’m 4’11” and finding clothing can be a challenge. I waned to design beautiful evening gowns that could be worn to red carpet events by ladies that were smaller in stature. The average model is 5’9” to 5’11. My designs are tailored to the smaller stature while providing glamour.
I did do a collection for men, but my passion is gowns. There is nothing more beautiful than a draping fabric on a woman’s body and the accents of glamour, like feathers and crystals. I’m extremely excited about my spring 2010 collection which will be previewed in September.
We design and make the samples here in Dallas, but I also own a shop in my homeland of El Salvador. It’s important to me to give back to my homeland. My employees are treated well, love their work, and by having my own shop, it allows me to have control over what is made. This way, if one design or a fabric is more popular, adjustments can be made quickly.
Here in the boutique, I am pleased to have some wonderful every day pieces. My passion remains designing unique gowns for Galas and pageants…those one of a kind runway looks. We are busy during pageant season as well as prom season, where ladies can find affordable gowns with the details like hand beading.
Can you tell me about the Fierro Foundation?
Every country needs good leaders and within every impoverished classroom are promising individuals who need motivation to lead - which is the mission of the Oscar Fierro Foundation.
While growing up, I experienced the disadvantages of attending impoverished schools within a third-world country. The Foundation supports students and their schools within El Salvador providing tools needed for education like classroom furniture, repairing existing schools and building new ones. Helping children helps our future, and education is the only way to break the cycle of poverty.
Do you have any closing comments for our readers
I love fashion and I will be a leader. I am here to stay. I am not passing through. I am here to make a difference. It is my opportunity to look out for all the people involved in the fashion industry – from the models, to the make-up artists to the photographers.
If you visit Dallas, you can find Oscar in the Park Cities area at Mockingbird Station. Find out more about Oscar, the Fierro Foundation, and his designs at his website.
Deb Smouse is the Editor in Chief at All Things Girl.
