Oscar de la Renta, iconic for designing clothes for celebrities, political figures and royalties, who passed away October 20, leaves his fashion house to British designer Peter Copping.

A year before his death, de la Renta aired his concern of who will continue his legacy should he passed away.

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"For a long time, I have always worried about what will happen to the brand when I am no longer here," he said in an interview with Women's Wear Daily.

A week before his death, the 82 fashion icon named Peter Copping, former creative director at Nina Ricci, to succeed him at the privately-held fashion house.

Copping, 48, and Chief Executive Officer Alex Bolen are now faced with the challenge of keeping longtime customers happy while attracting younger generations. The New York-based fashion house has been expanding its market abroad.

Copping's clothes "are feminine, they're pretty, in that sense it fits in with the Oscar DNA," Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology noted.

"But Oscar was such a larger-than-life figure, so beloved to a lot of his clients, that they're very difficult shoes to step into," she continued.

In honor of his death, the company's flagship Madison Avenue store closed with a note that says: "Oscar passed away yesterday. Today we grieve. We'll be back tomorrow."

De la Renta's career spanned five decades and the changing fads in fashion. The Dominican-born fashion designer left Elizabeth Arden in 1965, joining Jane Derby as a designer and partner. He eventually took over the partnership and renamed it. For the next four decades, he worked hard to make his design house one of the most recognizable brands. He branched out to perfumes, jewelry and even and home goods. His high brow clients included Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, Penelope Cruz and many more.

While other fashion houses were acquired by luxury conglomerate, de la Renta managed to hold on to his own. De la Renta watched these brands struggle, including Donna Karan, which had to survive its tie up with LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA. De la Renta eventually remained in control helped by his family, first by his daughter Eliza Bolen, who has been in charge of the licensing for over two decades, and then by his son-in-law, Alex Bolen, serves as the company's CEO since 2004.

TagsOscar de la Renta, Peter Coping