Recently I received an invitation from Initiatives in Art and Culture to attend their 13th annual fashion conference in New York—RED: Allure, Style, and Significance. The scope of the itinerary was impressive and it got me thinking about the impact of the color in my life and in my design work. Red was always a big part of the Latin household I grew up in. I remember vividly my grandmother's fiery auburn hair and long polished red nails. Mi abuela also used Maja products, which featured a scarlet clad Flamenco dancer on their packaging. This symbol of the culture was also made into a doll, which became a permanent fixture in my grandmother's bathroom. I can also recall exciting flashes of crimson skirts as the salsa was danced at family functions.

Maja products featuring a Flamenco style doll.

Perhaps having such vivid associations was why, when I was first studying fashion, I avoided using the color in my designs. I was young and worried about being boxed in creatively. I did not want to be known as the designer of cha-cha dresses. Thankfully as I grew as a person and as a designer I learned how important the color was in communicating so many different things. I saw it woven into Scottish tartans, as well as serving as a color symbolic of the sun for the Japanese. Even beyond cultural ties, there was a broad spectrum of ways in which red could be interpreted.

Hamish Bowles, European Editor at Large for Vogue wearing an Alexander McQueen tartan suit.

The Japanese view the sun as red. That representation is the basis for their nation's flag, called Nisshōki.

Childhood provided a variety of connections to the color. In fairy tales and comic books a red cape implied safety and security. Ruby slippers and red toe shoes were integral parts of storytelling in the film version of the Wizard of Oz (in the book the slippers were silver), and the film based on Han Christian Anderson's story The Red Shoes. Christian Louboutin's trademark red sole has a magic of its own for connoisseurs of luxury footwear.

The safety and security of red. Superman's cape and Little Red Riding Hood.

Dorothy's red ruby slippers in the film Wizard of Oz (1939).

Red Converse All Star high tops and The Red Shoes (1948) based on the Hans Christian Andersen cautionary tale.

Christian Louboutin's trademark red soles.

A red by any other name is still as striking, regardless of whether you call it pomegranate, vermillion, cherry, madder, Bordeaux, or fire-engine red. The fashion references are plentiful. For celebrated fashion designer Valentino and unparalleled icon of style Diana Vreeland, red was a signature. Audrey Hepburn in red, gracefully gliding down marble steps, crying out, "Take the picture, take the picture!" in the film Funny Face is a powerful reference point for most fashion aficionados. Another vintage fashion flick, The Women, uses Jungle Red nail polish as a plot device. To this day red hair, red lipstick, and red lacquered nails are always in style.

"Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick." Gwyneth Paltrow

Valentino's creations in his signature color, red.

Diana Vreeland wearing red snakeskin boots.

Audrey Hepburn in the 1957 film Funny Face.

Norma Sherer sporting Jungle Red nails in The Women (1939).

Really red head.

Red lipstick and Marilyn Monroe.

Mae West's red lips inspired the sofa by Salvador Dali.

Blood red nail lacquer.

Red is used to evoke and provoke. It is primal—the color of fire and blood.

Red seduces—Lolita. It forbids—the Tango.

Red tempts—the apple. It instills fear—political propaganda.

Red arrests—stop signs and traffic lights.

One of the four elements, red blazing fire triggers basic instincts that both attract us to and repel us from danger.

Red scrubs as camouflage for blood.

From Dracula to True Blood, the fascination with blood thristy vampires has recreated itself with every generation.

The menacing red eyes of Dakota Fanning as Jane Volturi in the Twilight Saga films

Red headed Rita Hayworth as femme fatale Gilda (1946).

Red heart shaped sunglasses and lollipop are some of Lolita's tools of seduction.

It may have started with Adam & Eve, but classics like Snow White tempt with red delicious apples.

Updated fairytales like Once Upon a Time continue the tradition of temptation on television.

The allure of enticing red velvet cake.

Red is an integral part of the passion that fuels the forbidden dance of the Tango.

Obey Eye print by Shepard Fairey in the style of Russian propaganda posters.

M&M graphics in the style of Russian propaganda posters.

Red traffic lights and stop signs.

Red identifies—landmarks. It is part of ritual—the church.

Red has a voice—in florigraphy (the language of flowers) red roses are the mark of true love.

Red is funny too! Red rubber noses. Lucille Ball's red henna hair. And getting back to my upbringing there is Spanish television's El Chapulín Colorado.

Red even cares—red ribbons and the (Join)RED Campaign promoting AIDS awareness and fundraising. The red poppy has been worn on Remembrance Day since 1920 to commemorate soldiers who have died in war.

London's red phone boxes remain iconic symbols of the culture in spite of a cell phone in every pocket.

The Moulin Rouge is a cabaret that features a red windmill on the roof and was the birthplace of the can-can.

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - Shakespeare

Bible, King James, Proverbs 31:10 - "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies."

Cardinal red vestments worn by Cardinal Jules Mazarin.

Celebrating Red Nose Day in the United Kingdom.

The funny redhead everyone loves, Lucille Ball.

El Chapulín Colorado (The Red Grasshopper) is a Spanish television character, created and played by Roberto Gómez Bolaños.

Red ribbons and the (Join)RED Campaign promoting AIDS awareness and fundraising.

Remembrance Day poppies.

Red aviator sunglasses.

In any design process, the spark behind the choice of a particular shade of red is only the beginning. With every unique source of inspiration there are endless interpretations that stretch far beyond the literal. I learned to tap into the symbolism of red within my own Hispanic heritage and take it in new directions that circumvented the stereotypical and managed to reflect my own design sensibilities that encompass and integrate so much more.

As fortune would have it I won't be able to be in New York for the RED conference. That is part of the reason I decided to pay homage to this dynamic, exciting, and very complex hue, although what has been collected here merely skims the surface. Take a cue from Bono and look at the world through rose-colored glasses December 1-3, 2011 by attending RED: Allure, Style, and Significance. For more information: http://www.artinitiatives.com

Musician and activist Bono in his signature shades, with actress Penelope Cruz on the cover of Paris Vogue.

"And whenever I'm in a situation where I'm wearing the same as 600 other people and doing the same thing as 600 other people, looking back, I always found ways to make myself different, whether it be having a red lining inside of my jacket, having red shoes, it hasn't changed." Jeremy Irons