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About Nico Lopez
Nico is a fashion, jewelry, and costume designer, wardrobe stylist, and artist with over 15 years of experience in the commercial, editorial, and music video industries across Los Angeles, Nashville, and now New Orleans.
As a self-taught artist, Nico first developed her craft by deconstructing and reconstructing vintage garments. Through hands-on experimentation, she landed on. This passion led to the launch of her fashion line in 2007, which debuted alongside the Martin Munkacsi retrospective at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). The collection’s success inspired an expansion into jewelry and a continued commitment to sustainable, high-quality craftsmanship—an approach that remains central to her work today.
In 2012, Nico transitioned into the world of styling and wardrobe design, working across short films, editorial, e-commerce, music videos, and commercial productions. Her portfolio includes projects with Vanity Fair, Chrysler, Nissan, Playboy, Southwest Airlines, Maroon 5, The Dandy Warhols, Disney, JASH, and many more.
In 2014, she had the opportunity to begin a relationship working with her creative mentor Manuel Cuevas, whose mastery of couture design further refined her technical expertise. Cuevas is most famous for his work as head designer for Niudie Cohn for over 30 years before going out on his own. He is responsible for some of the most iconic looks of the last 70+ years. Beginning his career with The Rat Pack, Cuevas created the Saints and Sinners suit for Gram Parsons, the gold lame Elvis suit, Salvador Dali’s favorite Western shirt collection, and George Jones & Porter Wagoner’s signature pastel suits. Even the Beatles and the Rolling Stones relied on him to execute their visions. One of his most well-known creative expressions was creating the visual identity of “The Man in Black” for his longtime best friend Johnny Cash. Most recently, younger artists like Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves, Jack White, and Lady Gaga have come to him for his unique one-of-a-kind pieces. Many of his pieces are kept in museums such as the Smithsonian, County Music Hall of Fame, and the FRIST, as they are just as much considered works of art as they have been referred to as fashion pieces. This experience reinforced her dedication to learning traditional craftsmanship whenever possible, leading her to pursue specialized training in shoemaking (Bonney & Wills, Ashland), corsetry (Morua, Chicago), and millinery (Leslie Robinson, Santa Monica), as well as taking several jewelry and metal smithing courses in San Francisco and Atlanta.
Nico’s work is personal, shaped by each client's unique vision. She enjoys refining a client’s style, curating a wardrobe, or creating custom designs for tours and performances, she thrives on the creative collaboration that makes every project distinct. She welcomes opportunities to travel for the right projects.
Explore the portfolio to see examples of her work.. Get in touch with inquiries about custom pieces or styling.