Ninotchka "Nina" García (; born May 3, 1965) is a Colombian-American fashion journalist, the editor-in-chief of '' Elle'', author, and a judge on the Bravo/Lifetime reality television program '' Project Runway'' since its first season.

Early life and education

García was born in

Barranquilla Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Col ...

, Colombia, the daughter of a wealthy importer. She graduated from the

Dana Hall School Dana Hall School is an independent boarding and day school for girls in grades 5-12 located in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Founded in 1881 by Henry F. Durant, Dana Hall originally served as Wellesley College's preparatory program. Notable alumna ...

in Wellesley, Massachusetts in 1983 and holds a bachelor's degree from Boston University. Later she attended Esmod () in Paris and earned a bachelor's degree in fashion merchandising in 1992 from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).Fashion Institute of Technology
Nina Garcia to Give Keynote Address at FIT's Graduation Ceremonies on May 25
2010-05-18. Retrieved 2010-10-10.

Career

Garcia began her career in the fashion industry in the early 1980s. She worked in the public relations department for Perry Ellis and its then-designer,

Marc Jacobs Marc Jacobs (born April 9, 1963) is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for his own fashion label, Marc Jacobs, and formerly Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, which was produced for approximately 15 years, before it was d ...

Journalism

After leaving Marc Jacobs, García moved to ''

Mirabella ''Mirabella'' was a women's magazine published from June 1989 to April 2000. It was created by and named for Grace Mirabella, a former '' Vogue'' editor in chief, in partnership with Rupert Murdoch. It was originally published by News Corpo ...

'', where she worked as Assistant Stylist and Market Editor until taking a position at '' Elle''. She became Fashion Director of ''Elle'' in 2000. She left the Fashion Director position in April 2008, becoming Editor-at-Large at the magazine until the end of August. On April 11, 2008, '' Us Weekly'' reported that Garcia left her post as fashion director of '' Elle''. Garcia's contract was reportedly up for renewal. Roberta Myers, Vice President/Editor-in-Chief at the magazine, announced May 15, 2008 that they had entered a new agreement with Nina Garcia who was named Editor-at-Large through September 1, 2008. Garcia was named the creative director of ''Marie Claire'' in 2012. Nina Garcia is currently the editor-in-chief of ''Elle'', the No. 1 fashion magazine brand in the world, with 46 international editions.

Other work

Her opinions stretch beyond the fashion industry as she takes on roles in spaces like television and mainstream media. She has hosted the red carpet for ABC's Oscar telecast, has been a judge on the

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

-winning show '' Project Runway'' since it launched in 2004, and serves as a style expert on programs including ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...

'', '' The View'', '' Today'', and CNN. In May 2016, Garcia joined the advisory board of fashion tech company Nineteenth Amendment, a platform for independent fashion designers to launch collections and have their designs made on demand, sustainably in the US.

Author

García is the author of four books. On September 5, 2007, Garcia's book, ''The Little Black Book of Style'' ( HarperCollins) was released. The book has been translated into Spanish and Portuguese. In August 2008, Garcia's second book for HarperCollins, ''The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own'' was released. Garcia's third book, ''The Style Strategy'' was published in August 2009. ''Nina Garcia's Look Book'' was published in September 2010.

Awards

In 2010, García received an Oracle Award from Fashion Group International, and the Individual Achievement award from the Hispanic Federation. In 2015, García received the Champion of Educational Excellence Award from the Oliver Scholars Program. García also received the Media Award in Honor of Eugenia Sheppard in 2021 from the Council of Fashion Designers of America for her work with ELLE. In 2022, García was honored as one of the Women of the Year by USA Today.

Personal life

Nina García is married to David Conrod, CEO of FocusPoint Private Capital Group. Together they have two children, Lucas and Alexander, and they live in New York. In February 2019, Garcia published an article in Elle stating that she would not be attending Fashion Week that year because she was undergoing a preventative double mastectomy.

References

External links

Nina Garcia's Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Nina Living people 1965 births Colombian emigrants to the United States Fashion journalists Fashion editors People from Barranquilla Fashion Institute of Technology alumni Boston University alumni Colombian women journalists Women magazine editors Dana Hall School alumni Judges in American reality television series