Much has been made of the handful of New York designers who, each for reasons of their own, decided to show in Paris. But for Esteban Cortazar, it’s New York he has chosen to come back to. After a decade in Paris, he will be unveiling his Fall-Winter 2018 collection here this afternoon.

“New York is where I started my career in 2002,” Cortazar recalled. “I have been in Paris for 10 years now. Lately, we wanted to think of new ideas, how to switch things up and do things differently. I have been toying with celebrating all the cities that make up who I am.”

New York is right up there. Colombia-born Cortazar grew up in Miami’s South Beach in the early 1990s, a time when the city was frequented by Madonna, Gianni Versace, Herb Ritts, and more. The late Kal Ruttenstein of Bloomingdale’s discovered Cortazar and cultivated his talent. Cortazar moved into the spotlight at 18 when he showed his collection at NYFW, and at 23, he was named creative director of Ungaro and relocated to Paris.

Over the past decade, the designer credits working in the French capital for honing and elevating his craft. Although he considers Paris home now, there’s plenty about New York that he misses – from close friends to what he considers “the discipline of the city …that go-getter attitude and this idea that if you work hard, you can make things happen. I wanted my team to experience this. Everything aligned itself for me to come back, and it’s an amazing boost for the team as well.”

He remembers his first show in New York at the Metropolitan Pavilion fondly. “It was so exciting to have a show with real models and a very professional team,” he said.

Todd Oldham, whom Cortazar considers a mentor, was at that show and is expected to be back in the front row this afternoon.

“I am looking forward to seeing my community come together, and to see people from my past, my present and my potential future,” he said. “This will be a chance for them to see who I am today.”

And there is more to the comeback than meets the eye. Cortazar explained that when he left his native Colombia to live with his father in South Beach, Miami, at age 9, he was dreaming of becoming a designer.

“America gave this amazing opportunity to me,” he said. “This, in a way, is my love letter to that.”