And so began my love affair with Taos.
As an embroidery designer for the fashion industry in N.Y.C., working beside Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass and Diane Von Furstenberg, I amassed a large collection of lavishly embroidered Victorian clothing, linens and lace, from which I drew my design inspiration. Thus was born Renaissance Clothiers of Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, a business that I owned and operated for 22 years. My textiles and vintage fashions graced many a movie and soap opera set including Woody Allen’s “Manhattan”. Johnny Cash and June Carter were frequent customers as well as Bruce Springsteen. As an avid fisherwoman, when not wheeling and dealing antiques at the auction houses in N.Y., I could be found angling off the coast of Jersey, Cancun or Cozemel.
And still the mountains and southwest whispered to me.
With the birth of my third child, Alyssa, came a diagnosis of Autism. Not one to sit around and wait, I dusted off my boots from the 60’s and became proactive. I was appointed by the Governor of New Jersey to the Council for Developmental Disability and am also a graduate of Partners in Policymaking. My involvement in legislation at a state and federal level included working with then Senator Jon Corzine on a TEACH bill for Autism, for which I became a recipient of the “Women Who Make Magic” as well as an appearance on the Montel Williams show. While serving as a member of the Autism Advisory Board for the Epilepsy Foundation, I developed their mission statement “To ensure a better quality of life for individuals and their families affected by Autism and related disorders throughout the lifespan.”
With an attitude of “whatever it takes”, I developed a special education consulting business working with 1 family and 1 school district at a time to improve the quality of education.
And still the wind whispered TAOS…
Experience
• B.F.A. Ramapo College, Mahwah, NJ
• Fashion Institute of Technology, N.Y.C.
• Embroidery Designer, Garment District, N.Y.C.
• 22 years – Business owner of Renaissance Clothiers
• Appointed by Governor of NJ in 2001 to Council of Developmental Disabilities
• Graduate of Partners in Policymaking 2003, NJ Developmental Disabilities Council
• Recipient of Women Who Make Magic, 2004
• Lois Fernandez Consulting, LLC Advocacy in Special Education
• Advisory Board – NJ Epilepsy Foundation
• President and Founder of Enchanted Dreams Foundation
• Proprietor of Enchanted Dreams Art and Antique Emporium, Taos, NM |
