But the Peruvian-born 33-year-old was going through a dark time in the months leading up to her death.

Her love life was a shambles after several emotionally abusive relationships, and the clothing label that rose her to prominence was hemorrhaging money.

"She was always telling me she had terrible luck with men," a New York friend of the designer told The Post. "She kept asking me to set her up with a nice guy. She'd been seeing several men, and they all turned out to be real jerks."

The pal said Cachay spent nearly all her free time at Soho House, "but she wasn't a party girl; she was there to meet friends and do business."

Cachay's swimsuit obsession began in her South American youth, when she spent her time building a bikini collection while admiring her mother Sylvia's work as a designer.

She attended Parsons Paris School of Art and Design and finished her degree in Virginia.

Cachay landed a job at Tommy Hilfiger. In 2002, she reached the peak, running the Victoria's Secret swimsuit design team in 2002.