BOCA RATON, Fla. — From the time she was a little girl living in the Caribbean, Cenia Paredes always envisioned creating her own line of dresses that would cater to specific body types and would flatter the physiques, particularly when it comes to voluptuous women. This is why she was the idea choice to have her clothing line, Cenia New York, featured at the Macy’s fashion show during the exclusive Black Enterprise annual “Women of Power Summit” at the Boca Raton Resort and Club in South Florida.
Paredes’ dream emanated from her childhood as she was designing clothes for her mother in her native Dominican Republic. There, Paredes’ seamstress mother was often faced with the dilemma when women wanted a dress that was being made for another customer and expected it to look the same on her even though she had a different body type. Paredes rectified that problem by redesigning the dresses so that it was flattering to that particular woman and accentuate her voluptuous frame.
And because of the program, Workshop at Macy’s, which helps women of color designers get their careers off the ground, she was the feature designer at the upscale store’s fashion show.
“I am so very, very proud to be here on behalf of the “Workshop at Macy’s” program. I’m so, so proud to be here at Black Enterprise (conference). It was a tremendous success,” she said following the fashion show that thrilled the black women business power players in the room. “The one thing about my line of dresses are that they are for women with curves, women of color who embrace their bodies and who are proud to show off their curves.”
Soon after emigrating from the Dominican Republic, Paredes matriculated through the world-renowned Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, graduating Summa Cum Laude. After harnessing and cultivating her burgeoning skill set at a number of fashion houses in New York, Paredes founded Cenia Paredes clothing line in 2009 with women of color — and women with curves — in mind.
Paredes featured dresses from her spring 2014 collection that blends modern, clean aesthetics and sophistication that is, at the same time, able to satiate the consumer demand from the four distinct female body types. She is meticulous in considering the body shapes during every step of the design development process. And it showed during the Macy’s fashion show during the BE “Women of Power Summit.”
“Cenia New York is for women of color who are proudest of their curves. Our colors are very vibrant and it’s about finding the real women.”
