International clothing designer Clara Lago Rashidian is taking the fashion industry by storm from her home in Key Biscayne.
With stores in Miami’s Wynwood District, Greece and Mexico, Rashidian’s Pitusa offers the latest luxury fashion in women’s beachwear, sundresses, pajamas, kaftans and dresses. Pitusa has even attracted the attention of international celebrities.
Clara Lago Rashidian Clothing Store, Pitusa, located in Wynwood.
Colombian recording artist Shakira, retired tennis star Serena Williams and Colombian actress Sofía Vergara are photographed wearing Peruvian Rashidian-inspired swimwear, resort wear and loungewear.
Renowned world tennis champion Serena Williams wearing Pitusa.
Williams has been seen on the TV show “The Bachelorette”, Shakira has had Instagram posts featuring her in clothes from Pitusa, Vergara has been seen wearing a sundress while shopping in Hollywood.
“It was pretty wild to see Shakira wearing them,” Rashidian, 36, said. “It really blew me away and it was such a confidence boost. Someone with such a high profile wearing the brand was crazy.”
Born in the United Kingdom, Rashidian moved to Key Biscayne to live with her father and attend college. She later moved to Brickell, where she started her fashion design business 12 years ago in her home, with money borrowed from her parents.
Colombian singer Shakira wearing Pitusa clothing.
Their investment paid off.
Today, Rashidian has retail stores in Miami, Mexico and Greece, and it is planning to expand to Key Biscayne and elsewhere.
To test the market in Key Biscayne, Rashidian held a successful sample sale last week. “It was wild and absolute chaos,” she said, noting that people were filling multiple boxes with her clothes.
A Pitusa piece featured on their website.
The clothing line reflects the Key Biscayne lifestyle, where people enjoy sandy beaches and relaxing by the pool. “Accessories are inclusive with beaches,” she said.
Rashidian said she was fresh out of college when the housing and economic crisis of 2008 hit. She realized that despite the economy, the market for women’s beachwear was doing well.
“The things you can throw away — it’s fun and colorful,” she recalled. “That’s what I wanted to do.”
To bring her brand to market, Rashidian worked with national and international wholesale businesses and many distributors in London, Greece and Canada.
Ultimately, she decided to open brick-and-mortar stores to connect with customers on a more personal level.
Clara Lago Rashidian next to a llama figure.
Rashidian said the response has been “crazy.”
Rashidian opened her first Pitusa store in Wynwood, a Miami neighborhood that is home to modern art galleries, retail shops, antique shops, eclectic bars and artisan restaurants. It has a 10,000-square-foot building that includes a warehouse for its clothing distribution and office space for its team in Liberty City.
Eventually, she opened a second store in Greece and a third in Tulum, Mexico.
Rashidian lived in Key Biscayne over the years, but decided to stay permanently when she was pregnant with her second child. She has two sons, aged two and four.
“But I came back to Key Biscayne when I was pregnant … because Key Biscayne is a paradise for children,” she said.
Rashidian, who was an actress in the UK, said she would like to teach drama classes at the Key Biscayne Community Center – something she did before her fashion design business took off.
“I would like to start teaching drama classes again to get involved and give back to the community,” she said. “At the moment I don’t have time, but one day I will because I really liked this.”
