Tracy Reese is a fashion designer and businesswoman from Detroit who started her start in the industry by designing and sewing dresses alongside her mother. Her one-of-a-kind patterns are transformed into vibrant, feminine clothes for modern women.
Her career as a fashion designer began in 1998, when she founded her Tracy Reese fashion label in New York City. She has since expanded her primary fashion business to include sub-brands such as Plenty, Frock!, and Black Label, with designs available at Neiman Marcus, Barney’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom, and Anthropologie.
Reese has dressed celebrities and popular figures like Beyoncé, Sarah Jessica Parker, Oprah Winfrey, and former First Lady, Michelle Obama, according to Forbes.
Reese attended Parsons School of Design before beginning her design career in 1984. She interned at Arlequin, a small modern firm run by Martine Sitbon, where she acquired hands-on expertise in garment design. She has also worked for renowned fashion houses such as Perry Ellis, where she was the design director for women’s portfolios.
Reese has shifted her focus in recent years to sustainable fashion and social effect. In 2019, she introduced the “Hope for Flowers” line, with the goal of empowering women and young people through arts programming in public schools and collaboration with local Detroit craftsmen.
Prior to “Hope for Flowers,” Reese issued at least ten volumes per year. If Plenty, her capsule collection, and other project developments are taken into account, it may be up to 30.
According to the New York Times, Hope For Flowers releases five collections, each with 15 to 25 items. Her bright outfits, shirts, skirts, and pants are among them.
“It had to be just a completely different business model than the one we were functioning in before,” she said during an interview at her office in Detroit. “And it’s not that the old one was so bad, but we were over-designing, we were overdeveloping, we were overproducing.”
Her first attempt at entrepreneurship failed, leading her to close her company before becoming a prominent influence in the fashion world. She rebounded stronger and more profitable after relaunching in 1996.
Reese has expanded into footwear, home collections, and nail polish in addition to the ‘Tracy Reese’ and ‘Plenty’ fashion lines.
