Cenia
Paredes was raised in the Dominican Republic in a family deeply involved in dressmaking. From a young age, she assisted her mother in selecting fabrics, engaging in fittings, and sketching designs for clients. By the age of 11, Cenia was fully engaged in the custom dress business, supporting her family.
Upon moving to the USA at 20, Cenia graduated with top honors from the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology in 2004. She gained experience working for renowned brands in New York's competitive fashion district while keeping her dream of launching her line at the forefront.
In 2009, Cenia introduced her first ready-to-wear collection, Cenia New York®, featuring day-to-evening dresses with a unique fit concept offering four distinct fits tailored to different female body types. She became the first designer to implement this concept in a major US department store, catering to women who embrace their curves and seek tasteful elegance and confidence, regardless of size or shape.
Selected from 900 companies, Cenia participated in The Workshop at Macy’s in 2011 and was among the four vendors chosen to debut her product in selected stores in June 2012. Since then, she has expanded her distribution to specialty stores worldwide and added plus sizes to her line. Cenia's dresses have been featured on HSN and Shopping Life 24 in Russia in 2016.
In 2019, Cenia emerged as one of the winners of “The Big Find,” a reality competition for inventors by QVC/HSN, leading to the launch of her patent-pending Cenia ConviJean on HSN in Spring 2020.
In 2016, Cenia was selected from over 200 applicants to participate in the Mini–Fashion Business MBA FITDE program sponsored by FIT and industry leaders like GIII. She now mentors and speaks to subsequent FITDE classes, giving back to her alma mater by teaching Tools of The Trade to aspiring fashion designers.
In the summer of 2023, Cenia realized another dream by opening her flagship store in Ridgewood, NJ, a luxury boutique showcasing her branded products and a bridal salon offering exclusively designed wedding and mother-of-the-bride/groom collections.
Cenia has been featured in prominent media outlets such as The Today Show, CBS News, NY1 News, CNN, Telemundo, Univision, Vogue, and many more. Her dresses are frequently worn by celebrities like Lin-Manuel Miranda's wife and mother, Vanessa Nadal and Luz Towns-Miranda, as well as Gloria Estefan, Dascha Polanco, Kate Baldwin, and others.