Mary Jane Marcasiano is the president of her eponymous design company in New York City . She has designed clothing and accessories, under her own brand and for other prestigious fashion companies, for over 25 years.

Marcasiano is a graduate of the Parsons School of Design/The New School and the recipient of the Cartier, DuPont, Cutty Sark and Wool Knit Awards.

Always actively involved with the arts, she has designed costumes for DanceBrazil , the New York City Ballet, RythMEK at Jacob’s Pillow and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance.

For three years she served as the President of the Board of Directors of DanceBrazil, a non-profit dance company dedicated to cultural exchange between Brazil and the United States. She currently serves as Special Events Advisor to Cinema Tropical, a non-profit foundation that distributes and promotes Latin American cinema in the United States.

In 2002, she produced Ginga, a documentary film about DanceBrazil’s capoieristas, with director Gustavo Moraes and in late 2006 designed the costumes for Moraes’ short film “ Ate Quando “ . In Spring of 2007 , Marcasiano will be working on acclaimed Brazilian director Bruno Barreto’s feature film based on the true story of Bus 174 - a passenger bus hijacked in Rio De Janeiro in 2000 .

2006 marked the debut of Marcasiano’s Made With Love in Brazil collection, a labor of love combining her passion for fashion with the culture and traditions of her adopted country. “I work in a lot of mediums these days,” says Marcasiano, “But the common thread for me is Brazil, a country and people which continually inspire me.”

Drawing on her background in non-profit, Marcasiano launched Made With Love in Brazil in conjunction with Fashion With a Heart , a groundbreaking program dedicated to providing scholarships to local Brazilian designers as well as producing and selling socially-responsible fashion.