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Ricky

AGE: 35

HOMETOWN: Escondido, CA

EDUCATION: California State University, Long Beach

FAVORITE DESIGNER: Prada

FASHION MUST: Gloves.

Born the 12th of 14 children in Escondido, California, Ricky, 35, credits much of his fashion inspiration and success to his Mexican parents, Eloisa and Raul. At an early age, he watched his mother sew and became fascinated with what she could create from a flat piece of fabric.

Although Ricky began to create clothes at age nine, his formal training didn’t begin until he studied dance and costume design at California State University, Long Beach. Dissatisfied with the opportunities that were available to him in California, Ricky moved to New York City to become a dancer. While dancing, Ricky began designing costumes for his dance company, which prepared him for his career as a women’s lingerie designer. He started as an assistant designer for the Valentino label before fine-tuning his skills under the Oscar de la Renta lingerie line. Later, he was approached to head the launch of the Vera Wang lingerie line.

After years of working under the constraints of another label, Ricky was ready to produce his own label. He launched Lizalde in 2004, which has been showcased in several trade publications and his garments are currently being sold at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom’s, and lingerie specialty boutiques throughout the country. Ricky currently lives in Queens, NY with Mark, his partner of ten years, and his dog, Seven.