Aliana Rubins may be petite in stature, but her ideas are grand! Originally from Azerbaijan, Baku, she started her career in the US as a makeup artist in the fashion and beauty industry. Helping launch Giorgio Armani Beauty, she continued on for 10 years as the company’s makeup artist. So inspired by the haute couture glamour and creativity of runway shows, in 2013 Aliana launched Aliana Events. Aliana Events has now successfully created many exquisite, high-end events and her work has been featured in Vogue and Beverly Hills Lifestyle magazines.

Aliana Rubins is 204 Events’ February featured designer of the month.

Alejandro Rivera (204 Events’ newest event coordinator) brought your name to light for us. How do the two of you know each other? Alejandro and I met when we collaborated on a project for Rrivre Works. We designed a set for a film produced by Dreamworks Production Company.

Obviously, Snt. Valentine is the theme of your vignette. Tell me about your process that helped you come up with the final setup. It all began with the beautiful red dress designed by Micheal Costello. Most of my inspiration is drawn from high fashion and couture, so the dress brought all of this together. The photoshoot was a creative way to express what Valentine’s Day means to me and that it should be filled with lots glamour and chicness.

What was your favorite part of doing this? My favorite part was documenting my vision in photographs and putting all the pieces and people together to create beautiful and glamorous images.

Does Valentine’s Day have any significant meaning for you? Yes. This day reminds me to appreciate my loved ones and to love unconditionally and passionately.

How did this partnership with Duke Photography come about? My partnership with Duke Photography is a mutually beneficial one. He knows how to take my vision and convey it through his photographs.

The flowers were stunning. Who did them? They were done by my wonderful friend Eddie Zaratsian.

Tell me about one of your most memorable event designs to date. I honestly cannot single out one event. All my events have been memorable for me. Because with each event I gain more experience and have more freedom to be creative.