The genius behind Proenza Schouler began simply as a senior project at Parsons School of Design. It was there in their 20s that Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez first met while studying fashion design. For three years the two designed independently and quite successfully.
According to FashionInfomat.com, in his junior year, Jack took an internship with Marc Jacobs, eventually working directly with the designer himself. For his junior collection Jack was awarded the National CFDA First Prize, as well as a Silver Thimble awarded by a designer to the student of his or her choice.
Around this same time, Lazaro found himself on the same plane as Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and dropped her a note. As a result from this fateful meeting, he soon received a call from Michael Kors to schedule an interview. He began an internship there and for his junior collection, Lazaro was also a National CFDA finalist, and received the prestigious Silver Thimble.
Upon their graduation, Jack and Lazaro designed their first collection together and it exceeded all expectations. They both received the Golden Thimble award and the entire collection was bought by Barneys New York. At the age of 23, Jack and Lazaro launched their own independent label, dubbed Proenza Schouler after the maiden names of their mothers.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qa3RqZyrq5KWx6Kt0WeaqKVfm660tMiopWiclai2qLrEq6pon2Zpf3Z71qGYrWWkpL1ussCsn6KnnmK9prvPpZxmr5Wnsm6wzqKloGWZo3pzfNJo