High Fashion with a Local Touch

A mention of haute couture can conjure images of Chanel, Dior, Prada, Armani, and other high-fashion luminaries and Rome, Milan, Paris, New York, and other exotic locales that are home to fashion shows and the designers’ workshops, where their visions take shape and become reality.

But as Rosa Piedrahita will tell you, women in this community can also clothe themself in exclusive, elegant apparel without traveling by sampling the talents of a designer who is quite literally a neighbor.

She is the owner and creative force behind Rosa P Designs, an independent high-fashion design house on Marco Island that’s in its first year of operation in the U.S. Unlike the major labels whose collections are created with a mass market in mind, she specializes in one-of-a-kind, luxurious, hand-made garments inspired by each client’s unique qualities and desires.

“I like it so much when I see my clients’ beautiful smiles, putting on my dresses and looking stunning and feeling confident about themselves,” said Piedrahita, a native of Colombia. “I like it so much that the dresses are permanent, they’re timeless. They’re for all occasions, whatever the year.”

Her creations have been featured in fashion shows on the island, including those of the Marco Island Newcomers Club, the San Marco Catholic Church, and the Treviso Bay Club in Naples. In late March, her designs were modeled as part of the “Beyond the Runway III” fashion show at the Perry Hotel Naples.

With more than 700 attendees, “Beyond the Runway III” featured Italian, Spanish, and Colombian couture, handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces, new luxury collections, and custom designs created exclusively for the show, including Piedrahita’s latest, a 20-piece assemblage entitled “Origins” that is inspired by the four seasons.

The Rosa P Designs portfolio press release describes the collection as being “inspired by the Naples woman: versatile, elegant, and confident, with that natural blend of the energy of the sea and the sophistication of the city.”

Piedrahita’s focal point is creating formalwear from high-end fabrics sourced in Italy and Spain, rather than casualwear and beach-oriented designs. All of her clothes are handmade by a small group of artisans in Colombia.

“When I make a collection, I think in terms of big events and of a beautiful woman feeling good in my design,” she explained. “For me, the island is a big opportunity to show my clothes because during the day, fashions are very casual, but there are a lot of events where the person needs to look stunning.”

Her husband, Allan Labos, assists with the business side of Rosa P Designs.

Labos has been a full-time Marco resident for five years. After meeting in 2022, the couple married in 2025, and Piedrahita moved herself and her business to the island from Medellín, Colombia’s second-largest city.

He described his wife’s approach as centering on “trying to create for that elegant woman. It's a work of art because it's a one-off piece. So whenever that person walks into a room, nobody's going to have that same outfit. It's not a label that she's designing for. It's craftsmanship. They’re for people who appreciate elegance. Connoisseurs of fashion, an individual that appreciates individuality, that's who she's designing for, not a mass market.”

Thanks to positive word of mouth and referrals, business is on the upswing, despite Rosa P Design’s relatively recent addition to Southwest Florida’s fashion landscape, noted Labos, while adding the trend demonstrates that a personalized approach can yield industry success.

“We just designed a beautiful, gala dress for a lady in Naples,” he said. “There's another outfit that they are telling us is going to go to Mar-a-Lago for an event there. For us, what's exciting is that you don't have to be in Milan. You don't have to be in New York. You don't have to be in LA. You can do it here in Marco Island because quality always rises and shines.”

Labos said the customer base extends beyond this region, as Piedrahita has designed pieces for clients in London, Dubai, Spain, and of course, Colombia, since starting her business in Medellín in 2019.

Her design process begins with clients visiting their home-based studio, also known as an “atelier,” to discuss what the individual has in mind, the occasion for which they’re seeking an outfit, and other pertinent details.

“Based on that, she will then find the material that will produce the outfit because it all starts with the material,” said Labos. “From there, it's the logistics from Spain to Colombia, from Colombia to Marco Island, back and forth. As the process unfolds, she’ll consult with the customer at various steps along the way.”

Piedrahita’s entrance into the realm of high fashion coincided with the upheaval caused by the Covid pandemic. She’d previously been the owner of a highly successful computer technology company in Medellín. It was at that time that her perspective on what’s important in life changed and she was inspired to let her son take over the business and to pursue a lifelong passion, creating beauty through fashion design.

Labos cautioned that their goals do not include seeking fame and fortune.

“We're just looking to design for a selective connoisseur,” he said. “She's going to be very happy with that. She's not looking to be mass-produced. She just wants to continue doing this to express herself and to bring joy to others and to bring another aspect to this island, which is mostly beach and resort (wear). We want to keep it personal. We want to keep it small. We want to be able to deal with every customer like they're family. It's not about growing. It's about quality, art, integrity, elegance, and producing classics.”

For more information about Rosa P Designs, please visit @rosapboutique on Instagram, via email at RosaP@RosaPdesigns.com,or by calling 239-259-4269.