Nina Garcia

Ninotchka Garcia was born in Barranquilla, Colombia. Growing up, she traveled with her family all over Europe and Asia, and at 15, she moved to the United States to attend school. Garcia studied liberal arts at Boston University in Massachusetts before attending the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she graduated from in 1992 with a degree in fashion merchandising. Her first foray into the fashion world began at Perry Ellis, where Garcia secured an internship that led to a full-time position working for its then-head designer, Marc Jacobs, at the company's public relations department. After leaving Perry Ellis, she moved to Mirabella magazine to work as an assistant stylist and market editor, before landing an editorial position at Elle magazine. Garcia moved up the ranks at that publication until she was named the magazine's fashion director in 2000; a position she held for eight years.While working at Elle, Garcia appeared as a judge on the surprise hit reality competition series, "Project Runway," where aspiring designers competed for $100,000 and a chance to break into the highly competitive world of fashion. On the series, Garcia was counted on to give its contestants constructive criticism and tough love alongside its host, supermodel Heidi Klum, and American fashion designer, Michael Kors. As the show's popularity soared, Garcia found herself gaining more attention and becoming somewhat of a pop culture phenomenon. But it also led to speculation among fashion industry insiders that Garcia was letting her emerging television career take over her role as a magazine editor, which reportedly led to friction between her and Elle magazine executives. The magazine and Garcia parted ways and she soon became the fashion director of Marie Claire magazine in 2008, while continuing her judging duties on "Project Runway."Boosted by all the attention she received as a judge, Garcia appeared on numerous talk shows as a trend expert and guest starred as herself on the ABC sitcom "Ugly Betty" (2006-2010), about a sweet yet homely editor (America Ferrera) working at a fictional high-fashion magazine. She also wrote several best-selling books, including The Little Black Book of Style (2007), which taught women how to find their own signature look, and Nina Garcia's Look Book: What to Wear for Every Occasion (2010).