Season 2, Episode 20: Cynthia Rowley

At an early age, Cynthia Rowley, a native of Illinois, discovered her love of sewing. With an artistic and creative gift that spanned beyond her garments, Cynthia studied painting and fine arts at the Art Institute of Chicago. She would later pivot into fashion after observing the constraints of the art world environment, shifting into an industry that would allow her to be creatively free to express herself. After completing her academic studies, Cynthia moved to New York City, ready to pursue her dream of becoming a designer.

After a decade of building her business, Cynthia would be honored by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) with the Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent in 1994. Cynthia’s brand philosophy, that fashion should be an adventure, catapulted her line into a full-blown brand containing a series of products, licenses, and brand collaborations. She would also author the Swell book series, featuring her illustration and writing talents. Combining her penchant for all things pretty and sporty, Cynthia collaborated with Roxy Quicksilver to produce surf and snow collections and even launched a CR Surf Camp in Montauk.

Cynthia is also the recipient of The Art Institute of Chicago’s Legend of Fashion award and the Designer of the Year award at the 37th Annual American Apparel and Footwear Association American Image Awards. Host Kirsten Holtz Naim took a moment to sit down with Cynthia to discuss the importance of listening to your audience, how naivete can be a form of power, the importance of an internship, and not taking “no” for an answer.

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Show Notes:

Shop the collections at https://cynthiarowley.com/

Follow Cynthia on Instagram @cynthiarowley

Check out Cynthia’s podcast, Ageless with her daughter Kit Keenan: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ageless/id1462642371

Follow Cynthia’s podcast on Instagram @agelesspodcast

Forbes Article: ROXY And Cynthia Rowley Launch New Snow And Surf Collection With Ambassadors Chloe Kim And Kelia Moniz:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michellebruton/2021/11/03/roxy-and-cynthia-rowley-launch-new-snow-and-surf-collection-with-ambassadors-chloe-kim-and-kelia-moniz/

Learn more about The Art Institute of Chicago: https://www.artic.edu/

The New York Times Article (1994) Announcing Cynthia’s first CFDA Award: https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/18/style/chronicle-864757.html

Learn more about CR Surf Camp: https://cynthiarowley.com/blogs/news/crsurfcamp-2019