My Fashion Life » Designer Profile: Rachel Roy

Designer Profile: Rachel Roy

Posted by Michele Obi on Monday, 18 December 20065 Comments

There are a crop of women such as Jasmine De Milo and Margherita Missoni to the Marchesa duo who are making a sophisticated mark in the fashion industry. Those mentioned have had their paths cushioned either by a rich daddy, a mogul boyfriend, or have been born into an existing fashion dynasty, however, in all three cases each lady has the talent to match.

Another female whose name must be added to the list and whose story stands out from the rest is that of womenswear designer Rachel Roy. Often pictured - trying quite hard to give off the impression of perfect relationship status - with her beau hip-hop mogul Damon Dash - no one can argue that her rise to success hasn’t been fuelled by hard work and a whole lot of determination. Starting out her career in fashion as a t-shirt folder at a retail store, Roy took on an internship at Rocawear, progressing through the ranks, to Creative Director for their womenswear line.

However partly due to the fact that her design approach clashed with the urban chic of Rocawear, Roy grabbed the bull by its stylish horns and developed her own line, making her debut this year at NY Fashion Week in September. Roy, who exudes grace and style, has even managed to get the blessings of fashions most powerful tag team, Anna Wintour and Andre Leon Talley.

Her spring/summer 07 collection was hardly the work of a trendsetter, but more that of a communicator, and she spoke perfectly to both the working lady and the lady who lunches. Keeping it simple and working solely on shape and detail, Rachel Roy’s work is nothing short of class. With fashion week not too far away, it’ll be exciting to see what Roy has in store for the “lady” next season.

(Images:Coutorture)

Tags: andre_leon_talley, anna_wintour, damon_dash, margherita_missoni, profile, rachel-roy, rocawear
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Michele Obi is the publisher and founder of My Fashion Life. In between editing, freelancing and spending most of her time on the internet, she also finds time to shop (too much) and obsess over shoes. She loves sushi and counts Matthew Williamson, John Galliano, Valentino and Hussein Chalayan as her favourite designers. Her biggest regret - never seeing Prince in concert!
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5 Comments »

Sharon Ingram said:

I love the sping collection by Rachael Roy. Please send a list of web site where I can purchase an item, or a list of the stores where I can buy the clothes. Thank you. Working mom!

- 20 January 2007 at 3:57 am

Michele Obi (author) said:

Sharon, you can purchase Rachel Roy online at Net a porter
http://www.net-a-porter.com/Shop/Designers/Rachel-Roy?cm_mmc=RachelRoy-_-ShopOnlineLink-_-ShopOnlineLink-_-ShopOnlineLink
for a list of stores check out http://www.rachelroy.com/ and click on where to buy. You should be able to find a store near you.x

- 20 January 2007 at 1:26 pm

My Fashion Life » Blog Archive » Ebony says Blacks are Back said:

[...] This months issue of Ebony celebrates the influence of black professionals in the fashion industry and while the cover is excellent, my ideal line up would have been, Iman, Pat McGrath, André Leon Talley and Rachel Roy. I mean Talley is a legend. If you dont believe me read this interview. [...]

- 14 August 2007 at 2:29 am

Chloe said:

Ebony,

Get your facts checked. Rachael Roy is half-Indian (as in India…you dim-wit) and half Dutch. Thus, the last time I checked…that doesn’t constitute being “black”.

- 12 November 2007 at 2:51 am

My Fashion Life » Blog Archive » News: An Investor for Rachel Roy said:

[...] Expect big things from Rachel Roy in the near future. Global expansion definitely. A second line, accessories, childrenswear or even fragrances, possibly. According to WWD, TSM Capital saw the potential in Roy’s creative talents and put their money where their mouth is. As of yesterday, TSM - who alredy have a 22% share of Matthew Wililamson - hold an “undisclosed” stake in Roy’s label, making Roy a second addition to their designer portfolio. Well we’ve been following the success of Rachel Roy’s label for a while now and are extremely pleased! [...]

- 13 November 2007 at 6:22 pm