| Oscar
de la Renta is known all over the world as the
glamorous designer of fabulous clothes for beautiful
women. But there is another side to his life that
most people know nothing about. He is also a passionate
advocate of children's rights and children's welfare,
in his native Dominican Republic and in many other
countries, including the United States. In response
to a request from The Earth Times Monthly, he agreed
to talk about that recently on the eve of the United
Nations General Assembly's Special Session on Children. Oscar
de la Renta has been a star of international haute
couture for four
decades and one of New York City's signature
designers since 1965. He has won countless
honors, including "Designer of the Year," two
Coty awards and the rank of commandeur in the
French Legion d'Honneur. He serves on the boards
of the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall and
Channel Thirteen/WNET.
A native son
of the Dominican Republic, he has also been
honored by the government of
that country, by the Hispanic Heritage Society
and by the King of Spain.In the world of fashion,
he has been making news since joining Cristóbal
Balenciaga as an apprentice. He also designed
for the house of Lanvin and Pierre Balmain
in Paris and Elizabeth Arden in New York before
going into business for himself. His label
can be found on fashions for men as well as
women, on sportswear, eyewear, furs, jewelry,
lingerie, scarves, sleepwear, swimwear and
perfumes.
But there is more to Oscar de la Renta than
just high style and the sweet smell of success.
Interviewed by The Earth Times in his office
above Seventh Avenue, he spoke at length about
a subject that is especially close to his heart:
the need to work to improve the lives of children
everywhere.
In addition to your role in fashion, there's
another design in your life I have always been
involved with children, obviously first in
my native Dominican Republic. There's no question
that if you come from a country like my country
children. I get along with children really
well. I enjoy being with children. And so I
have always considered it a privilege to be
able very, very small way
You're
the founder of La Casa del Niño?
I am a co-founder
of La Casa del Niño.
Because actually there is another lady there
named Xiomara Menendez who has been very active
in building this institution, and she really
is a wonderful lady. She is the one person
who is there on a daily basis. She's quite
an extraordinary lady. In my country it's a
little difficult to find volunteers. She is
married to a very prominent man in the community,
and she's the one person who's there, taking
care of the children, being sure that all their
needs are met, and she spends quite a few hours
doing this every single day. So I really have
a lot of admiration for her.
How did you get started?
I started really almost totally by accident.
Back in the early '80s, a woman came to me
my country, like in a lot of Latin American
countries, and a lot of third world countries,
we have masses of children who don't have the
opportunity to go to school. And you know,
children who come mostly from single-parent
homes street to try to make a little to help
their home. This lady came to me with the idea
that perhaps if I could help her, we could
start a small school where she could attract
some of these street children, and at least
teach them how to read and write. This happened
in the town of La Romana in the Dominican Republic.
What specifically happened there?
I rented one
room in the house, and we bought some little
tables and chairs, and we started
this little school. At first, we had a very
difficult time attracting the children. Because,
for them, coming to spend three or four days
there And I said to them: "If you stay
for four hours of classes, at the end of four
hours, we will give you a meal." The children
started coming, and soon we rented a whole
house.
What happened then?
At this point,
Xiomara Menendez came to talk to me about
helping her start an orphanage.
In a community as small as ours, it's very
difficult to say we're going to help only orphans.
There are a lot of children with a lot of different
needs. That's really how the idea of La Casa
del Niño was born. We operate today
mostly as a daycare center, where we have about
1,200 children that we take care of on a daily
basis.
And what's special about the place?
Every child
smiles. But if you will tell them, "Would
you like to stay and spend the evening with
us, or would you want to go home?"...
They all want to go home. Regardless that that
home might be just a room with a bed that comes
out at night, and there are three or four other
kids sleeping on that same bed with the mother.
Nothing replaces the warmth and the love of
a mother. So what we are trying to do keep
the home going, so children come to us from
6 o'clock in the morning to 6 o'clock in the
evening. We create the opportunity for mothers
to go out and work. And we have newly born
children, up to the age of seven. Once they
start school, then we have children from first
grade to eighth grade. We not only take care
of the child through the whole day, but we
take care of the child's medical needs. Sometimes,
some of the babies will come to us in such
a bad condition that we will ask the mother
to leave the babies with us for a certain period
of time so that we can get the baby nursed
into better health. We started already about
four or five years ago now. We found out that
in the area there is a very disproportionate
number of deaf and mute children. So we have
special classes for these children. We have
even a few blind children. So we try to really
help children in the community and fulfill
every kind of need that the poor child in the
community will have.
And you're also involved in a school for hotel
workers' children?
We started that in the area where I live now,
which is at the Punta Cana Resort and Club.
We started a small school where we now have
over 200 children. And these are some children
of some of the employees who work at the resort.
The closest town to the Punta Cana area is
about 35 kilometers, or more than half an hour
away. If the parents can afford tuition, they
will pay for tuition. If they cannot, we will
pay their way through a scholarship.
What about the school's structure?
We go right now from kindergarten to the eighth
grade. And we only started a year-and-a-half
ago. Students get English as a second language,
and we have a great computer room. There's
nothing in the area that compares to this school.
What are your views about children who are
forced to become soldiers or work in sweatshops?
With so many war conflicts in areas of unrest
all over the world I am deeply saddened and
concerned about the practice of arming children
at the most tender of ages, to be used in the
most horrendous manner, fighting for causes
that they barely understand. It should be a
great priority to stop this wherever it happens
as children's lives are threatened.
Another area of great concern to me is the
countries and individuals that use children
for labor, robbing them of their childhood
and the innocence of being a child.
Aren't you also active in several children's
programs in New York City?
I am very much involved in a program called
New Yorkers for Children. New Yorkers for Children
is an institution that helps children that
are within the foster care system. This was
something that was started together with Commissioner
Nicholas Scopetta during the Giuliani administration.
Now he's fire commissioner. But during the
Giuliani administration he was in charge of
the foster care system, and in fact he himself
came out of the foster care system. So he's
really an extraordinary, wonderful man. One
thing we don't realize in an extraordinary
city like New York is that there are over 600,000
children that would love to be adopted very
painful and very difficult thing. I have been
very active in supplying computers to foster,
care children who need computers. We have a
fundraiser every year years ago Julio Iglesias,
who's a great friend of mine, came and sang.
So we have been successful in trying to raise
funds. But much more money is needed.
The UN General Assembly is holding a special
session on children. What in your opinion are
the most urgent issues concerning the welfare
of children around the world?
Health, education and a lot of love.
And how do you think that should come about?
Love starts with the family. I wish that there
would be more people willing to adopt children.
If you could address the world leaders at
the UN, what would you say to them?
I would say that if you help children you
are helping to create a better world in the
future. There's nothing more rewarding than
seeing a child look at you and smile at you.
That for me is the biggest reward I can receive.
Can you tell us something about your future
plans regarding children?
I will continue working as much as I can.
Helping children wherever I can. And I will
always be open to situations. In every area
that I can cooperate, I will be very happy
to do it.
You have been very low key about children.
Why is that?
I've been low
key about my own involvement because I do
it as a labor of love, not expecting
anything in return because I love it, because
I really do care about the children. You see
a child, and that child smiles at you, I consider
that a privilege. You know, I walk into this
place, and they don't have the slightest idea
of who I am. And a lot of the children call
me "Dad"
How can more men and women of accomplishment
make a difference on social causes?
I think the biggest problem is that the problems
are so big that most people think, whatever
I can do, I cannot help. And the fact is, that
you know, if you help one single child you've
done enough. The reason I started the program
in my country, in the Dominican Republic, was
obviously because this is where I was born.
This was a place where I could see instant
results and I could see a difference. This
is the manner in which individuals could help.
Because I think that if we all in a small way
or a big way way have a personal commitment
in doing something for a child on a daily basis,
it really could make a huge difference. A tremendous
difference.
What are your disappointments concerning global
development?
I have a lot of mistrust of a lot of big organizations.
I am one person who doesn't really believe
a great deal in bureaucracy. One person in
a direct manner can help dispossessed people
far more than any big institution can do. I
see so many instances where big global bureaucracies
waste funds. Perhaps the best intentions are
there but not the heart.
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