Garcia was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, the daughter of a wealthy importer. She graduated from the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts in 1983 and holds a bachelor's degree from Boston University. Later she attended Ecole Superieure de la Mode in Paris and also earned a bachelor's degree in 1992 from the Fashion Institute of Technology(FIT).

Garcia began her career in the fashion industry in the early 1980s.. She worked in the public relations department for Perry Ellis and its then-designer, Marc Jacobs.

Journalism

After leaving Marc Jacobs, Garcia moved Mirabella where she worked as Assistant Stylist and Market Editor, until taking a position at Elle. She became Fashion Director of Elle in 2000. Garcia left the Fashion Director position in April 2008, becoming Editor-at-Large at the magazine until the end of August. On April 11, 2008, Us Weekly reported that Garcia left her post as fashion director of Elle. Garcia's contract was reportedly up for renewal. Roberta Myers, Vice President/Editor-in-Chief at the magazine, announced May 15, 2008 that they had entered a new agreement with Nina Garcia who was named Editor-at-Large through September 1, 2008. Fashion Week Daily - Dispatch - Project Runway Status Confirmed She had spent 13 years at Elle and been Fashion Director for the past eight years. She began her new position as Fashion Director of Marie Claire on September 2, 2008. Project Runway star Nina Garcia to land a major gig at Marie Claire - news - dispatch - fashion week daily

She became Fashion Director at Marie Claire on September 2, 2008. Garcia currently oversees the fashion coverage for the magazine and runs the fashion department. She also covers the designer fashion markets of New York, Milan and Paris, and is relied upon as a fashion authority and has participated in numerous television interviews.

Other work

In May 2007 Garcia was a judge for the Miss Universe competition in Mexico City. Miss Universe: Press

Author

Garcia is the author of four best-selling books. On September 5, 2007, Garcia's book, The Little Black Book of Style (Harper Collins) was released. The book is in its eighth printing and has been translated into Spanish. On August 26, 2008, Garcia's second book for Harper Collins, The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own was released, with eight printings at the launch. Garcia's third book, The Style Strategy was published in September 2009. Nina Garcia’s Look Book was published in September 2010.

She is married to David Conrod. She gave birth to a boy, Lucas Alexander Conrod, on March 24, 2007. On July 14, 2010, it was announced that she is expecting her second child.