How much is Cynthia Rowley worth?
| Net Worth: | $115 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Fashion designer |
| Date of Birth: | July 29, 1958 |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 5′ 8″ |
About Cynthia Rowley
During her final year at SAIC, Rowley was awarded a scholarship, and she used the money she received from the fellowship to relocate from Chicago to New York City. She then began her professional life by receiving seed money in the amount of $3,000 from one of her grandmothers.
Rowley has been a guest on a variety of television programs, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Project Runway, Design Star, and Gossip Girl. In addition, she has served as a judge on the reality television programs 24 Hour Catwalk, America’s Next Top Model, Project Runway, and Design Star. Return to Amish is a television series that airs on the TLC network and follows an ex-Amish woman named Kate Stoltzfus as she works as an intern at a design company owned by Rowley.
Rowley was born and raised in Barrington, Illinois, which is located in the far northwest suburbs of Chicago. She is one of three children that were born to Ed Rowley, who was a former science teacher, and his wife Clementine, who was a painter. She is the youngest of the three children.
Rowley sewed her first garment when she was just seven years old. Her great-grandparents included a painter as well as the designer of the emblem for Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. After completing her high school education at Barrington, she went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1988 from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Rowley was not allowed to participate in the SAIC art show she was in during her junior year because her design featured wings. Rowley mentioned that Marshall Field’s had purchased her first collection while she was still a student at SAIC in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.
Since Rowley introduced her first limited-edition collection in 1988, the business has expanded to encompass wetsuits and swimwear, home furnishings, bedding products, and office items. Tom Sullivan, a photographer and Rowley’s first husband, passed away at the age of 32 in 1994 due to complications arising from cancer.
Rowley wed the sculptor William Keenan Jr. of Brooklyn, and the union was blessed with the birth of their daughter, Kit Keenan (born 1999). In 2018, Kit debuted her namesake apparel collection, which was simply titled KIT. In 2019, Cynthia and Kit collaborated on the production of a podcast under the name Ageless.
The fashion designer is also responsible for the creation of a line of home items known as Swell. This brand was inspired by a book series that she and her friend Ilene Rosenzweig penned together and had its debut in 2003 at Target. 2011 marked the debut of Rowley’s Mr. Powers collection, a limited menswear range that was named after the designer’s late husband, Bill Powers.
New York Fashion Week serves as the venue for the presentation of Rowley’s collections every other year. Signature Retail locations for Cynthia Rowley can be found in New York City, Chicago, Montauk, Palm Beach, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, and Newport Beach, in addition to the online store operated by the brand.
Rowley’s designs were characterized as “flirty, vibrantly colored dresses and tops in wispy materials” by The New York Times. These dresses and tops are said to have “a whiff of the carefree, simple spirit” that is reminiscent of Claire McCardell’s creations. Kit appeared as a contestant on The Bachelor in 2021, during which time she made a passing reference to her famous mother.
She wed William “Bill” Powers, an art dealer, writer, and proprietor of the Half Gallery on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, on September 17, 2005, at the residence of photographer Peter Beard, following Rowley and Keenan Jr.’s divorce. Powers is also the owner of the Half Gallery.
Summing-Up
New York City resident and fashion designer Cynthia Rowley maintains her headquarters in the Manhattan district. In the year 1994, Rowley was presented with the Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). In 2012, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago honored Rowley and her husband Bill Powers with the Legend of Fashion award. Rowley received the honor alongside Bill Powers. At the 37th Annual American Apparel and Footwear Association American Image Awards in 2015, Rowley was recognized as the American Apparel and Footwear Association’s Designer of the Year.
