The Designer: Rachel Roy
Rachel Roy is one of those rare women of whom a mere glimpse coaxes the same refrain as that of people who have actually met her: “She is so cool. She is so cool.” Roy, 37, is cool: She embodies it, she dresses it, and she designs it. Since the 2005 launch of her label, she has had, by all accounts, a meteoric rise to fame. Her designs are perfection for the modern woman, whom she defines as “classic, with a twist.” “I do believe you can be feminine and intelligent,” says Roy on the phone from her New York City-based design hub, regarding the Washington woman. “You can be a woman who takes the time to put on lipstick and a pencil skirt and still be strong in the boardroom. Show a lot of brains. That’s really what interests people. If you have brains, you have style and taste. That’s what I know about Washington.”
Although raised primarily in Northern California, Roy and her brother spent summers living with their aunt, uncle and grandparents in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her lineage runs through the District: Roy’s grandfather was a lawyer who worked at the Pentagon, her grandmother a nurse; her father, an Indian immigrant, met her mother, who was Dutch, in Washington while he was at graduate school. “It was a second home to me,” she describes. Roy returned for college in the area, attending Columbia Union College, now called Washington Adventist University, where she majored in English and psychology but dreamed of a life in New York City and a job in the fashion industry. “It was the first time on my own,” she says of her college years. “I learned that Washington definitely has formalities and traditions fashion-wise—not that it’s not fashionable. I think if I didn’t have the balance of DC in my life growing up, I wouldn’t be as grateful. And my line wouldn’t be as chic and sophisticated as it is today.”
Roy credits her reverence for clothes to those Washington summers, specifically, going to church with her family, where she admired local women in traditional ensembles, dressed in their formal best. “I think at that young age, I really appreciated what is needed in DC. Women there loved detail, stitching, the craftsmanship,” she explains. “In New York, now, we’re so jaded. We go through life so quickly.” She recalls what she learned here when she needs to be reminded of the essence of quality and the respect of a fine garment. “I loved the Smithsonian,” she recalls. “The distressed American flag in the National Museum of American History was a favorite. I never got bored of it. Now, when I design my rock-’n’-roll T-shirts, I always start with the idea of a flag, and that goes back to those visits.” Roy takes other inspiration from the city: Her colors, shapes and patterns—all can be traced back to her time in the District. “For me, it’s a visual thing. The cherry blossoms, fresh flowers in the spring in DC—there’s [nothing] like them,” she says. “The Kennedy Center was always a source of inspiration.”
Roy’s clothes today reflect this kind of savvy, traditional Americana, but with tweaks that make them indispensable for a cosmopolitan woman. “Take Michelle Obama,” says Roy of one of her loyal patrons. “She is 100 percent about her own aesthetic, which she had even before she was the first lady. She wants to push the envelope in terms of newness and modern.” Roy is still awestruck by what Obama has done for her label, buying her printed sheaths and blouses off-the-rack without Roy’s even knowing. “For someone so scrutinized, she took a chance. And she purchased them with the knowledge that other people can purchase them. She makes it all feel accessible, which it absolutely is.”
In addition to fashion, Roy says she is often moved to be charitable, a side of her brought out in part by her two daughters, Ava, 11, and Talulah, three. She supports an orphanage in Ghana and regularly visits to keep tabs on its progress. “I had a revelation that until I do better and build my brand, my voice won’t be as loud,” she says. Her mission is to continue her humanitarian work and, at the same time, spread the word about beauty and confidence. “There’s greatness in diversity and letting go and letting flow.”
With a growing secondary line and collaborations with celebrities in the works, it seems there is no limit to what Roy can accomplish. “Fashion is not a vain thing. It makes you sit a little taller, stand a little straighter,” she says. “And it makes you feel good about yourself.” As for Washington, Roy, who visits often, remains enamored with the city and will forever cherish the style landscape that comes with it, no matter how conservative it may sometimes seem. “I like the vibe and the mentality there. Just because you cover up a bit more doesn’t mean you are not sexy,” she explains. “Show less, and you get more in return.”
