Designer finds success doesn't come overnight

Tracy Reese tries, tries again -- and finally succeeds in fashion world.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- The mantra of the fashion world is "know your customer." Tracy Reese goes one step further: She is her customer.
"I really love what I'm doing now," she tells the Associated Press in a recent interview. "I gravitate toward what I would wear or buy myself."
Billed as "feminine chic," Reese's designs are marked by vintage-inspired, intricately ornamented pieces in bold colors that combine for an elegant, modern look with a nod to the past.
Success didn't happen overnight, though. It took Reese, 40, nearly two decades to nurture a successful label of her own.
Was the wait worth it? You bet.
She now boasts the benefit of experience along with critical acclaim, worldwide distribution and $17 million in annual sales. She previewed her collection to top buyers and editors during New York Fashion Week, her third go-around at the Bryant Park tents that also host the likes of Carolina Herrera, Michel Kors and Narciso Rodriguez.
For fall, Reese's look had an art deco edge and picked up on some of the top trends, including the use of metallics and brocades. The designer is known for her stylish coats.
Acquires a mentor
A Detroit native, Reese graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York and worked for the small contemporary design firm of Arlequin in Paris. There, she worked and traveled with mentor Martine Sitbon.
"She really taught me how to use wonderful old references in my work," Reese says.
With financial backing from her father, she launched the original Tracy Reese label in 1987 and struggled to keep it open for a year and a half.
"It's really an experience issue, I think. When I did it the first time, I was really insecure," she says. "It's hard to be taken seriously when you're that young and your self-confidence isn't the strongest."
Afterward, Reese went on to Perry Ellis, where she became design director of the company's Portfolio line. Next, she undertook freelance work before her five-year stint with Magashoni, where she designed a branded line, Tracy Reese for Magashoni.
On her own
She gained confidence and a following of fans, and decided it was time to strike out on her own again.
"I just had to make a decision. I didn't want to work for someone else," she says. "It's a struggle when you work for another company."
She adds: "Designers are problem-solvers. In theory, you can design anything -- it just requires some experience and enthusiasm -- but it doesn't mean it's where your heart beats. I didn't feel like compromising at the end of the day."
In 1997, Reese relaunched her label, once again with help from her banker father and found success.
Today, privately owned T.R. Designs Inc. appears likely to post a 41 percent one-year increase in sales.
With 28 employees and distribution throughout 300 stores worldwide, the company is en route to gross sales of approximately $17 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, according to vice president Om Batheja. That would top the previous year's $12 million in sales.
Retailers carrying Reese's line include Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom's and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Youthful line
Plenty by Tracy Reese, her bolder, more youthful line, benefited from a surge in popularity of fashion influences from India. That led to the line's strong debut upon its 1998 launch, thanks to orders from retailer Anthropologie.
"I think the statement is more complete. I think it's a more confident statement," Reese says. "We have a much better idea of what the customer wants."
Reese, who conceptualizes and initially sketches each piece in her collection, says she draws from a variety of influences she has gained while traveling abroad as well as unique U.S. cities such as New Orleans. Those elements show up in her work often as muted yet lively colors, replete with embroidery and striking abstracted floral patterns.
"I think it starts from stuff you love," she says. "I love to adorn myself. If you're spending a little money on clothes, you want to be noticed the right way."
Reese's enthusiasm for her work never wavers for a moment. "I think I must be an entrepreneur at heart," she says. "The upside is that I get to do what I love every day."