Rosa Clará’s dream was to make a living doing the one thing she loves most: making women feel lovely and radiant on the most important day of their lives. After 18 years of hard work, she is expanding her bridal empire beyond the confines of her native Spain.
She has entered Miami through “the big door”. Although her dresses are already sold in the most representative bridal stores of the United States, the decision of open her first boutique in this city has been decisive in the development of her business in the Americas. “Four years ago, we established an office in New Jersey, from where we managed international sales for North and South America, but we still yearned to have our own store”. There were three possible locations: Los Angeles, New York or Miami. Rosa Clará admits she opted for the latter, purely for economic reasons. “The store opened in early March, but I can already say it has been very profitable. There is great purchasing power in this city.” The boutique is located at 365 Miracle Mile, in the posh district of Coral Gables.
The store opening coincided with the 15th edition of Miami Fashion Week, where Clará spoke exclusively with azureazure.com to disclose the secrets behind the 40 looks she presented in the show. “The 2014 collection is very beautiful and bright,” she said. “One part is inspired by the fashion of the 1920s, with silver thread embroidery; the other group includes classic Rosa Clará dresses, with voluminous skirts full of fantasy, constructed with noble fabrics (silks, embroideries and pique).” She says the show had a joyful vibe because it was the first time she presented the collection outside of Spain, but forgets to tell us hat shortly before the presentation, she was recognized with the award for Best Bridal Designer of 2013.
Rosa Clará in Latin America and the World
The list of brides who have stopped by her atelier before saying “Yes, I do”, is quite long. There is also a list of celebrities who have contributed, in part, to the designer’s popularity around the world. Mexican pop star Paulina Rubio, Spanish actress Paula Echevarría and international supermodel Esther Cañadas are just a few of her clients, as are: the daughter of former Mexican President, Vicente Fox, the daughter in law of former Colombian President Andres Pastrana, Sabina Nicholls. All have opted to wear Clará‘s beautiful gowns on special occasions.
Latin America is a market where Rosa Clará has revolutionized the way brides present themselves. “Opening a store in Miami was a great choice, since it is the meeting point between North and South America. The Latin bride understands our predilection for fine fabrics. Mexico (where she has seven stores) was the first Latin American country where we opened a store and, from there, we have expanded to Costa Rica and Panama. We have already signed contracts to open branches in Peru, Venezuela and Ecuador.“
The key to her success: not to focus only on one type of woman. “We do not see women as American or European. We want our collection to be fashionable, made with high quality craftsmanship, and good enough to be sold anywhere in the world.”
She mentions that she recently opened a store in Qatar, in addition to the 16 other stores that already sell her clothes in Eastern Asia. Her gowns are sold in a total 140 stores around the world. Clará presents her designs in several collections (Two, Soft, Air, Rosa Clará…) that adapt to her client’s requirements and tastes.
Interestingly, she was never discouraged by the dire economic crisis currently affecting her native Spain. Rosa Clará is unstoppable, and her ambition has no limits. The United States is just the latest place where she continues to offer elegance, beauty and joy through her wedding dresses, shoes, jewelry and garments for bridal guests. Nothing stands in her way. She is currently planning her own wedding to Josep Artigas, which will take place this summer. But she prefers not to make any statements on the subject. One thing is sure: her wedding dress will be her own creation.
We should look forward the event because, given her history, is not unlikely that her wedding will dictate the bridal trends for 2014. ■
