BHM_Tracy_Reese - add/view comments ()

Tracy Reese was born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 12, 1964. She received an accelerated degree from Parsons School of Design in 1984, after which she joined a contemporary sportswear firm in Paris as an assistant to designer Martine Sitbon. She produced her own contemporary collection for two years, before moving to Perry Ellis as design director for Women's Portfolio.

Tracy Reese ranks as one of the fashion industry's most successful African-American women whose realm is not relegated to the runway. In a business where few designer labels seem to make it past their fifth anniversary, Reese has two clothing lines, TR and Plenty, which have been sold at Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, and other top retailers since the mid-1990s. Her company's sales topped $12 million in 2003, and it launched a Plenty-label home line that same year and a footwear collection the following.