Orlando Caquias

Fashion – Philadelphia

Orlando Caquias was born in Puerto Rico, but spent much of his childhood in New York before returning to Puerto Rico. After finishing high school in Puerto Rico, he attended Escuela De Artes Piasticas, del Instituto de Cultura Puertorriquena de Puerto Rico, (School of Fine Arts in Puerto Rico), where he received a bachelors degree in art. After teaching art in Guaynabo for three years, Orlando moved to Utica, New York, then to NYC and on to Philadelphia where he currently resides. As a young boy, he was initially introduced to fashion through his mother, who supervised a clothing production facility in New York. Sensing his interest in fashion Orlando’s mother taught him how to sew. Many of his garments reflect his fond memories of his mother and her elegantly attired friends in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Orlando has attempted to capture the elegance and sophistication of these memories while updating them into the fashion of now. He has always felt that fashion should focus on sensuality of women. Orlando’s career can be divided into three phases. While in Upstate New York, he held fashion shows in Rome, Syracuse, Albany, Utica, Buffalo and Rochester. He has also been a past competitor in The World Modeling Association’s competition held in the Bahamas where he won the title of “Designer of Tomorrow”. From Utica, Orlando moved to Puerto Rico where he began the second phase of his career. He developed a commercial and a fashion show for cable television. Simultaneously, he designed gowns for several participants in the Miss Puerto Rico Pageant and the gown for the winner of the Miss Carolina pageant and Miss Piel Cadilia pageant. In 1990, Orlando’s career took its most significant turn. He made the decision to begin actively marketing his fashion. His promotion efforts included a meeting with representatives fro Vogue Mexico, in Mexico City. This resulted in his fashions being published in the June 1991 issue, July 1991 issue and one of his lace blouses being featured on the front cover in September 1991. He has spent the past few years working with several top photographers and models in New York and Philadelphia, continuing to market his designs in the continental United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Orlando’s likes his clients to know that, “Your Dream is My Job.”