CYNTHIA ROWLEY

A native of Illinois who studied at the Chicago Art Institute, Cynthia Rowley has been designing innovative fashions since her arrival in New York in 1983. Initially, she sewed and designed from her apartment, then grew her business into revenues that exceed $12 million per year.

Her designs earned the CFDA Perry Ellis New Fashion Talent Award and are carried in upscale stores like Marshall Fields, Saks and Barneys, as well as boutiques. A co-author of the recent book Swell, a guide for modern young women on the go, Rowley’s designs mesh funky fun with ladylike design.