Nanette Lepore, a Youngstown, Ohio, native, has had design in her from the tender age of 9. After graduating from Youngstown University, Lepore headed east to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology. In 1992, after honing her skills in several Manhattan studios, Lepore launched her own line of girlie, sweetly-patterned separates in 1992. She has since expanded, opening the doors to seven shops across the globe, launching fragrances .Nanette Lepore. and .Shanghai Butterfly,. and collaborating with Keds on a line of sneakers.