Sept 10, 2013, New York City: With a slew of celebrities sitting front row, emerging designer Jorge Vega Umana presented his third collection at New York Fashion Week. Known for his precise tailoring and cut, Vega Umana’s Spring Summer 2014 collection was inspired by the Sacuanjoche flower (Frangipani), the national flower of Nicaragua. The designer adds, “The flower is from the country of my heritage. The flower has all these different colors and that is the palette for the collection…mandarin, sunlight, lime, and it has a soft, but structured shape.”
Indeed, the Frangipani was evident in the prints of the floating chiffon dresses as well as bursting with the color of structured sheath daytime dresses. The colors for the collection are in palettes of mandarin, sunlight, lime, midnight and vanilla. The fabrics are very tactile with cotton, silk, silk gazar and or course Chantilly lace. Subtle but effective hand beaded embellishment was sprinkled on the gowns and eveningwear adding am elegant sparkle.
“The silhouette is clean and sleek. I bring a mix of classic with a modern twist influenced by a minimalist translation.” That modern classic look was also seen in Vega Umana’s first foray into menswear, a natural extension for a designer whose main forte is his tailored cuts.
Front row celebrities included Alysia Reiner and Jackie Cruz from the critically acclaimed “Orange is the New Black,” Jenna Burke from “The Bachelor,” celebrity chef Maneet Chauhan of “Chopped,” actress Sheetal Sheth and New York One anchor, Joya Dass.
Jorge Vega Umana
Born into a prominent family, Nicaraguan-born designer Jorge Vega Umana had always been surrounded by fashionable women and hence, took an early interest in fashion. After moving to New York City, Vega Umana pursued his passion first working for Porsche Design and eventually launching his own collection. This is his third time showing during NYFW. He already counts many celebrities and prominent New York, European and International women as his patrons. Although he has shown presentation at NYFW for the past two seasons, this was his first runway show.
