Biography on tracy reese

After completing her studies, Reese gained invaluable experience working for top fashion houses including Perry Ellis and Martine Sitbon.

Biography on tracy reese

In , she launched her eponymous label, Tracy Reese, which quickly gained recognition for its vibrant prints, impeccable craftsmanship, and commitment to empowering women of all shapes and sizes. Reese did a bit of freelance design work until she was hired by her friend Marc Jacobs to take over as the design director of the Portfolio line at Perry Ellis.

She only designed one collection before Portfolio was dropped. She then went to work as a design consultant for Henderson until joining Magaschoni in as their design director. She also did a line of her own for the brand. Reese stopped designing for Magaschoni in and did a collection for select Limited stores later that year before she began the process of reestablishing her namesake line with backing from NY-based business Apparel Winds whose president Om Batheja was a minority partner in the original Willi Wear.

Apparel Winds produced her signature collection and a new line of sportswear designed by Reese, tentatively called Precious. Precious became Plenty, and the two labels were launched in She preferred designing with an eye towards an integrated approach to wearing her clothes, allowing her customers to mix and match her older pieces with newer ones.

Reese has always preferred clean and contemporary looks with classic lines and stylish edges. She found inspiration from places with unique vibes, and relished using muted yet lively colors. Object Number Reese had counted First Lady Michelle Obama as a client by She is a board member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America , having been inducted in She recalls making clothing from scratch while growing up, alongside her mother, while they worked sitting side by side at their own sewing machines.

After graduating with an accelerated degree in , Reese worked under Martine Sitbon at the firm Arlequin. She worked at several top fashion design houses, and eventually became head of the Women's Portfolio for Perry Ellis [ 3 ] before launching her own label. The Tracy Reese label produces both ready-to-wear and resort wear. Plenty and Frock!

Plenty has a focus on home fashions. Tracy Reese Black Label launched in Tracy Reese designs are noted for their femininity and retro-influenced style; the textiles themselves make use of bright colors, elaborate graphic patterns, and a playful use of bohemian touches. In a New York Times interview on the occasion of the store's five-year anniversary, Reese expressed optimism about current trends continuing to support her design vision:.

We love pretty, we like beautiful, flattering, color! In , a second exclusive Tracy Reese store opened, this one in Tokyo. Web— www. Reese lives in the Murray Hill area of Manhattan, and is one of a handful of African-American women designers to run their own label. When asked if she had ever encountered racism in the industry, she did tell Essence writer Teri Agins that once she had a booth at fabric trade show in Paris, and was having a hard time with the event-management people.

An American colleague saw what was happening, and stepped in to help. You can spend your whole day wondering about racism, but in most cases I find it is just better to ignore it—rise above racism. WWD, September 8, , p. N10; January 6, , p. Sources Books Contemporary Fashion, second edition, St. James Press, Periodicals Black Enterprise, September , p.

Detroit Free Press, May 25, , p.