Our annual picks of the industry’s rising stars – a brave, bold group that’s trailblazing a unique path to success.

Tsedenia Kiros

Charles River Apparel (asi/44620)

Even Oprah is paying attention to Tsedenia Kiros, design director at Charles River Apparel (asi/44620). In the January issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, the supplier’s “Logan” jacket was chosen by the iconic talk show host for the “O List,” a monthly feature that showcases Oprah’s favorite items. It’s a high-profile honor for the former Greg Norman senior designer who jumped from the lab to the runway.

“I majored in biology and chemistry for my undergrad, but I’ve always been good with color and knew what looked right aesthetically. I switched to fine arts and international design because it came naturally to me,” Kiros says.

As part of “the best job in this place,” Kiros goes design-inspiration shopping in New York and Boston, searching for prints, patterns and fabrics on the cusp of mainstream trends. She travels with sales reps to find out firsthand what end-buyers are asking for. “If whoever you’re working for has been doing something for a long time, you’re trying to get them to break that mold. I’m constantly seeking, looking past my own little world, to create products that can be seen as great products, with or without a logo,” Kiros says.

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