Rachel Roy

Rachel Irene Roy (born 1974) is an American fashion designer.

Early life and education

Roy was born in San Bernardino County, California, and raised in Seaside, California, as a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She graduated from Seaside High School. Her brother Rajendra Roy is the chief film curator of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Roy's mother is Dutch and her father is Bengali Indian. Roy attended Columbia Union College (now called Washington Adventist University) in Takoma Park, Maryland and left to move to New York City where she worked as a wardrobe stylist and interned at the fashion label Rocawear.

Career

At Rocawear, she rose to the position of creative director of the women's and children's divisions and met her future husband, Damon Dash. In 2004, Roy launched her eponymous fashion collection.

In early 2006, Roy received a Bollywood industry award for her contribution to American fashion. In 2007, Roy was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America. In June 2008, Jones Apparel Group formed a joint venture with the Rachel Roy brand. However, in 2013, Jones decided to sell itself to another company and to liquidate the Rachel Roy brand. They also planned to sell her trademarks to another firm. Roy fought back and sued Jones Apparel. The judge agreed that she held 100% creative control of her company and could decide on the buyer. The suit was settled and eventually sold to Sycamore Partners. As of 2021, her fashion company, Royale Etenia LLC., operates in partnership with Topson Downs. Royale owns 36% of the company and Dash and Roy maintain a 50-50 ownership of Royale.

Roy also received publicity in the teen market, including in Teen Vogue; in its April 2009 issue, Rachel did a "how to", where she transforms a regular T-shirt into an edgy prom dress.