Fora Leonara Launches Its Debut Luxury Collection, Founded by a 20-Year-Old NYU Student

Fora Leonara

Founded by Rafael Zard, who grew up between Bulgaria and Marbella, the New York house brings old European craftsmanship to those who lead in business.

Somewhere along the way, luxury became a logo. Fora Leonara was built to make it mean something again. Old-world craftsmanship, made for the people who lead, and have nothing to prove.”

— Rafael Zard, Founder, Fora Leonara

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, May 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Fora Leonara, a new New York luxury clothing house, has launched its debut menswear and womenswear collection. The house opened on May 21, 2026, founded by Rafael Zard, a 20-year-old economics student at New York University who built the entire brand and its online store while still completing his degree. Designed in New York and crafted by European ateliers, Fora Leonara is built on a single conviction: that true luxury is felt, not flaunted.

The brand grew out of Zard's own journey. Raised in a European family where quality mattered but logos were considered a little embarrassing, he spent his early years in Bulgaria before moving to Marbella, Spain at fourteen, where a fascination with how clothes were actually built turned into an obsession. He taught himself the construction of fine garments, sourced his own materials, and made his first designs simply to understand the craft.

When he came to the United States for university, first in Miami and then transferring to New York University, he was struck by how far that sensibility had drifted. Logos had replaced craftsmanship, and decoration was being mistaken for distinction. At NYU, surrounded by investment bankers, executives, and people for whom presentation is part of leadership, Zard found both his audience and his purpose.

Fora Leonara is designed for people who lead, and who understand that how they present themselves is part of how they are taken seriously, in finance, in the boardroom, and at the front of the room. The debut collection reflects that: tailored suits, structured overcoats, cashmere-blend shirts, and flannel wool jackets for men, alongside sharply tailored jackets, wide-leg trousers, and silk-finish pieces for women. Each is made from materials chosen for construction and longevity, with the restrained, logo-light detailing that defines the house. The full collection is available now at foraleonara.com.

"True luxury is not worn loudly. Its presence is felt," said Rafael Zard, Founder of Fora Leonara. "I built this for people who lead, who walk into serious rooms and want their clothing to carry the same weight they do. When you wear Fora Leonara, you are not wearing a logo. You are wearing a piece of old European heritage."
Though its craftsmanship is rooted in Europe, Fora Leonara was born in New York, a house Zard describes as originated from the heart of Manhattan. His ambition is to bring genuine European elegance back to a generation that has known mostly logos, and to dress the people shaping business and public life in something built to last.
The debut collection is live now at foraleonara.com, with new pieces and updates shared on Instagram at @foraleonara.

About Fora Leonara
Fora Leonara is a New York-based luxury clothing house that launched on May 21, 2026. Founded by Rafael Zard and originated from the heart of Manhattan, the brand designs menswear and womenswear rooted in old European heritage, built on craftsmanship and quality rather than logos, for those who lead in business and public life. Designed in New York and crafted by European ateliers, the collection is available at foraleonara.com.

Fora Leonara | ceo@foraleonara.com | foraleonara.com | Instagram: @foraleonara | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/fora-leonara

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