Rachel Roy

Rachel Roy, designer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and mother, has always kept one goal in mind in her approach to design; to help women feel smart, confident and individual.

Raised in Northern California by an Indian father and Dutch mother, Rachel grew up immersed in the issues of Vogue magazines she collected and dreams of being a designer. After attending college in Washington, DC, Rachel moved to New York City and began styling magazine shoots. Her feminine aesthetic with a twist quickly earned her a reputation for knowing how to enhance a woman’s body without revealing too much. After almost a decade at a global urban brand, where she rose to Creative Director overseeing seven licensees and running all of design departments, Rachel launched her own brand.

Inspired by the strong, confident working women she knew, the Rachel Roy New York collection debuted in Spring 2005. The collection embodies effortless glamour and grace with Rachel’s design hallmarks of print/pattern mixing, the pairing of opposites and defining details that take women from day to evening. From the very first collection, Rachel has created modern iconic pieces – the trench, the blouse and the dress - that are, and continue to be, the cornerstones of women’s wardrobes.

In August 2009, Rachel launched RACHEL Rachel Roy, a downtown, youthful companion to her designer collection featuring affordable contemporary sportswear, footwear, handbags and jewelry that has quickly become a destination brand.

Giving back is one of Rachel‘s greatest passions and one of the founding principles of the Rachel Roy brand. From her work with OrphanAid Africa to the Kindness Is Always Fashionable charitable bag program, Rachel always looks to create opportunities to give women and children in need a voice. Inspired by her recent trip to Haiti, Rachel partnered with the Heart of Haiti artisans collective to bring Haitian designed jewelry to the US marketplace. The sustainable business model helps create jobs and continues to employ Haitian artisans while giving their beautiful work and culture more widespread exposure.

Rachel is a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and continues to be actively engaged in the evolution and integrity of the fashion industry. In 2009, Rachel was recognized by the Accessories Council with an ACE AWARD for best brand launch for RACHEL Rachel Roy. She won Mattel’s 10 Women to Watch in 2010 and most recently she has been featured on Vanity Fair’s Best Dressed List. Rachel has been recognized for her innovative brand and film work by AdWeekMedia and the LaJolla Fashion Film Festival.

A frequent lifestyle, fashion and culture contributor to various publications, Rachel is a featured monthly columnist for InStyle Magazine and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post. Rachel has appeared on numerous national TV programs; The Oprah Winfrey Show, Project Runway, The Nate Berkus show, Lifetime’s Catwalk 24/7, Sundance’s All on the Line, and Extra TV as the red carpet style correspondent for the 2011 Oscars. Rachel and her work has been featured on leading blogs like The Cut, Refinery 29, WhoWhatWear, and The Glamouri to over 200 million web viewers annually. Fascinated with technology and how it enhances women’s lives, Rachel has created a robust social network that engages women and acts as a research and laboratory to test new designs and ideas that includes Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Youtube, Tumblr, Instagram and Google+.

Rachel has garnered editorial acclaim in publications such as Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, W, Vanity Fair, Glamour and InStyle. Rachel has had the honor of dressing First Lady Michelle Obama, Eva Mendes, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Garner, Iman, Halle Berry, Sofia Vergara, Christina Hendricks, Jessica Alba and Gwyneth Paltrow among other esteemed actresses, musicians and businesswomen.