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Lazaro Hernandez, born in Miami of Spanish/Cuban parents in 1978, is one of designers behind the high-end brand Proenza Schouler. Proenza Schouler is a New York based womenswear and accessories brand founded in 2002 by designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. The duo met while studying at Parsons School of Design, collaborating on their senior thesis, which would eventually become their first collection as Proenza Schouler. The collection was bought in its entirety by Barneys New York. Proenza Schouler is named after the two designers' mothers' maiden names,Proenza being the maiden name of Hernandez' mother and Schouler that of McCollough's mother. Awarded with the inaugural CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2004, three years later, Proenza Schouler was honored with the 2007 CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award. In June 2011, the designers were awarded their second CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. In 2008, Proenza Schouler introduced its first shoe collection, licensed through Giuseppe Zanotti, Vicini S.p.A. Later that year, Proenza Schouler launched its first handbag collection. Proenza Schouler is sold in over 100 of the most exclusive retail outlets worldwide, including Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Harvey Nichols, Colette, and Joyce.