Tracy Reese is one the most successful African American women
designers in the fashion industry. Reese’s style is appealing to others
because she designs for the “smart shopper,” the kind that knows a deal
when they see it. The designer said that she would not create anything
that she would not consider wearing herself.
“My clothes are not basics, and they’re not really classics either, but they are hopefully essential,” Reese told Essence.
The fashion designer has also worked with some of the most elegant
people around the world. In fact she is the personal designer for the
First Lady Michelle Obama. Tracey Reese was born and raised in
Detroit, Michigan. She revealed that some of her favorite memories from
childhood were the times when she would sit down with her family and
make things on their sewing machines.
“My grandmother was the epitome of a lady and served as my first
fashion icon. From the very beginning, I have always been passionate
about creating a line that reflected my own vision,” she said to
stylebakeryteen.com. Reese was a student at Cass Technical High School
in Detroit. The students focused on either arts or academics. In her
younger days she wanted to become an architect or an interior designer.
“I eventually ended up taking a couple of classes in the fashion
design department, but I didn’t take it as my concentration because I
thought it was kind of flaky,” said Reese in an article.
Through encouragement by a teacher she applied for a scholarship to a summer program held in New York at Parsons School of Design,
which is one of the top colleges for aspiring fashion design
professionals. She ended up winning a spot and after graduating from Cass Tech High she enrolled into the design school full time.
Reese graduated in 1984 and quickly found a job as an apprentice to the French designer Martine Sitbon
in NYC. After only two years of working under Sitbon, she decided to
branch out on her own. With help from her father she was able to launch
her own clothing line. The entrepreneur produced two collections which
were admired by consumers. Sadly, she had to close them down due to low
revenue, but that didn’t stop her from progressing forward.
She landed a job working with the Perry Ellis Portfolio, thanks to her former classmate Marc Jacobs. Jacobs has been in the fashion industry for over 20 years and is the head designer for Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs. He’s also the creative director for Louis Vuitton.
While working with the Perry Ellis brand, Reese learned the basics that she needed to move forward in revamping her clothing lines.
During the early 90’s Reese became head designer at Magaschoni which was owned by Hong Kong manufacturer Magtague. This line produced women’s knitwear and sportswear for popular brands like Calvin Klein and Donna Karan just to name a few.
“It was definitely not my style, but I knew this was the kind of
company that could provide me with major backing of my own label,” Reese
told Essence magazine.
Throughout her career she worked hard and finally established the
clothing collections that mattered to her the most. Reese is known for
combining unusual textures and colors, often with a touch of vintage
flair. The majority of her designs have been inspired
by pieces of music, paintings, books, vacation spots and various cities.
She now has three of them : “Tracy Reese”, “Plenty”, and “Frock!”.
“Tracy
Reese” is a clothing line for sophisticated women, who dream about
getting dressed up again. The clothing line creates feminine, timeless
pieces rich in dressmaker details, that always captures attention.
“Plenty” is a collection for the Bohemian spirit which seeks to discover
the world’s treasures. It offers a fashion collection that is rich in
ethnic detail and accompanies the soundtrack of life. “Frock!” is a
collection made to dress up. This collection is for the modern girl who
enjoys a charming, thoughtful and optimistic escape from the normal
everyday dress.
In 2004, Reese launched the “Plenty Home” collection which consists
of bedding, curtains, and blankets. Similar to “Plenty,” this collection
uses many of the same Indian pattered textiles. “When I’m designing the
line, I always think about how I would love to have sheets in these
fabrics, as well as curtains in these fabrics,” she said.
Reese’s approach to designing combines modern craftsmanship with a
vintage flair to create a look that is her own. And because of her
desire to develop a strong design philosophy by staying true to her
point of view she has become an everlasting designer.
She’s consistently a fashion favorite among the industry insiders and celebrities.
Not only has she teamed up to work with First Lady Michelle Obama on several occasions, she has also been working with Sally Hansen for the past 8 years to bring new and funky colors to life with the Sally Hansen’s Complete Manicure collection. Various colors appear each fall and spring. So check out your nearest drugstore to see what’s hot for this season.
