Boston born and raised, Denise inherited her design interest and talent from her grandmother who was also a designer in Damascus, Syria and her grandfather who was a patternmaker and dress factory owner from Beirut, Lebanon. Denise decided after graduating from The School of Fashion Design, she would stay close to her roots and start a business here. With over 25 years in her own design business, Denise has established herself as a top designer, having sold her creations nationally to department stores, specialty boutiques and individual clients.
In March of 2006, Denise was asked by the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel, who was looking for someone "authentically Boston" to be their "Designer-in-Residence". Opening her retail boutique has been an unbelievable opportunity to showcase her ready to wear line of day & evening wear, as well as her made to order and one of a kind designs, to customers from all over the world.
In Sept of this year, noted photographer, Boston Globe's Bill Brett, included Denise in his 2nd book, along with other Boston notables; "Boston - an extended family".
Furthermore, Denise has designed costumes for television, theatre, commercials and movies, such as "Johnny Slades Greatest Hits", starring John Fiori of the Sopranos, and "Undercurrant" starring Lorenzo Lamas and Brenda Strong (who currently is the voice of Mary Alice Young on the television show "Desperate Housewives").
Having recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Fashion, Denise has been recognized with hundreds of awards including Vision Leader Award, Exceptional Women Award, The Distinguished Alumni Award and Rising Star of the Year Award.
Stories about Denise and her designs have been reviewed in magazines, newspapers and television stories. Her clothes have been worn by celebrities, politicians and news anchors attending prestigious events and award programs such as the Tonys, Emmys and Oscars.
Denise believes, "While I show people how to look good on the outside, it is more important that we know how to take care of our insides." She has been part the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign from the beginning. Her Red Dress Collection was sold in Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Saks, Marshall Fields and on QVC raised money to benefit research and awareness about heart disease in women. She has also designed the Pink Ribbon Collection, raising funds that provided free mammograms to underprivileged women and promoted breast cancer awareness.
Denise Hajjar, the creator and founder of the "Big Dreams Start Small" event to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, has always believed that bringing fashion and celebrities together would entertain people as well as raise money for the hospital. Now going into its ninth year, Big Dreams Start Small will have raised almost two million dollars for St. Jude, resulting in Denise and her dedicated planning committee being the recipients of the "St. Jude Volunteer Group of the Year Award."
Denise's philosophy, "Giving back should be the rule, not the exception." are not just words to her. For over 20 years, her most passionate cause has been the mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital – Finding cures. Saving lives. She fervently supports the research, treatment and commitment of the medical teams at the hospital, knowing that St. Jude is a "beacon of light in a parent's darkest night."
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