Rubio, of Puerto Rican descent, was born and raised in New York City.[4] He became interested in women's fashion as a child, so he studied fashion design. After rescuing a chained Chihuahua in 2005, he began creating costumes for dogs, an activity for which he is most recognized today.[3][5]
In 2012 he became the first canine designer to exhibit his work at the New York Fashion Week.[3][5] A year later he participated in the Brooklyn Fashion Week, another event that had never featured designs exclusively for dogs.[6] He has also participated in other major events such as the Met Gala (where he paid tribute to designer Rei Kawakubo)[7] and Los Angeles Fashion Week.[8] In 2021 he participated again in the NY Fashion Week, where he was supported by Polish model Joanna Borov.[9]
His designs have appeared in specialized magazines like Vogue,[10] Cosmopolitan,[11] Vanity Fair,[12] Harper's Bazaar,[13] Marie Claire and Elle;[14] and he has given interviews on TV shows like Good Morning America, Page Six TV, Vice Live, To Tell the Truth and The Pet Show.[3]
Rubio supports dog adoption and has donated to shelters and other projects related to the protection of homeless animals.[15] In 2012 he created the Adopt Me Maybe campaign inspired by the song "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen, which went viral through social networks.[16] He designed most of the costumes that appear in the book Couture Dogs of New York, by author Paul Nathan.[3]
In addition to his canine designs, Rubio also designs haute couture for women and ties for men.[17]