 Reem
Acra
- AUB Business
Graduate, Beirut, Lebanon.
- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.
- ESMOD, Paris, France.
- 1995: Launching of the Reem Acra Bridal Collection.
- 2008: Launching of the Reem Acra Ready-to-Wear Collection.
- Fall 2009: Long skinny black dresses .Very sober style. No decoration
except for the heavy rich necklace or for the rich embroidery which
stands for the decoration of the dress. All dresses are long, either
flowing or close to the silhouette. Brighter versions include the
same idea but still in dark colors, using silky , sparkling looking
materials .Colors vary between violet, deep electric blue, brown,
beige, chocolate (yummy!) , silver, pink and even light blue.
- Spring 2010: Fresh very short dresses. Silky materials. And White
is the Star! Then comes beige, olive green, and silver.
With an
insatiable desire for luxurious fabrics, deep texture, rich color
and anything made by hand, Reem Acra's exquisite gowns exude her
own innate sense of style and love of fashion. The designer's gowns
are a direct reflection of her design philosophy that poetically
combines her appreciation for the traditional and classic with the
modern fashion needs of today's stylish woman. Reem Acra's gowns
particularly appeal to women of individual style who are looking
for glamour and sophistication on the most important day of their
life. Technical acumen, tremendous creativity, and attention to
detail are the overriding principals that Reem Acra combines when
approaching her design.
Reem Acra’s
success story, if one may say, sounds like the fairy tale of the
Barbie to whom she designed a Wedding dress, at the demand of the
Mattel Company. R. Acra is well known worldwide, for her beautiful
wedding dresses. But before she turned into a Fashion Designer,
Acra first studied Business at AUB. Yet it is true that, already
as a little girl, she used to visit with excitement the fashion
fabrics along with her mother. She already enjoyed discovering and
appreciating the different kinds of fabrics, and especially hand-embroidered
work, which would later become her symbol in the fashion business,
along with her sense for details. But maybe this entire subject
was still a hobby, back then.
But
how did Reem switch from Business to Fashion?
It happened during a party which was held at the AUB University,
when her self-made dress left a fashion editor in awe. It was an
ornate gown decorated with refinely hand-made quality embroidery,
which she had taken from no other place than…her mother’s dining
room table cloth. The female fashion editor immediately offered
Reem the chance to show her work in a fashion show which happened
only ten days after this specific party was held.
Furthermore, weeks later, Reem was offered an even bigger chance
and was off to study in New York, at the Fashion Institute of Technology,
and later on, in Paris, at ESMOD.
Continuing in
this new path, Reem travelled a lot and took a precious inspiration
from every country she visited. Afterwards, she also worked as an
Interior Designer for a while, and then she came back to fashion
and worked on her style, in Hong Kong and New York too.
She succeeded well, and managed to achieve worldwide recognition
for her atelier, in less than ten years of work. A stroke of luck
also came from a high society friend of hers, who chose to wear
one of her bridal gowns at her social wedding. Soon after this,
Reem launched her first collection, Reem Acra Bridal, which imposed
a higher level of craftsmanship in bridal dressing. Acra has a way
of getting equally inspired by both European and American styles,
with a 1920’ glamour final touch.
As a leading
name in today’s luxury fashion industry, Reem Acra delights in making
women look good and feel great through her unique sense of style.
Renowned for her ability to bring a feeling of royalty to a modern
aesthetic, Reem’s looks are marked by elegant pieces, featured in
the most luxurious fabrics and embellishments, with an impeccable
attention to detail. After launching her bridal line in 1997, which
quickly became recognized for its glamorous designs, Acra expanded
her brand to include evening gowns, and introduced a Ready-to-Wear
collection in the Spring of 2008. Distinctly blending Reem’s culturally
diverse design inspirations with classic tailoring, each line evokes
an ethereal quality that appeals to a discerning, worldwide clientele
that includes celebrities, royalty, and women drawn to a refined
sense of global luxury.
Influenced by
her mother’s impeccable style and love of fashion, Reem was always
fascinated by design. As a little girl, she accompanied her mother
to fabric stores to learn about the finest fabrics, textures and
design details such as hand-embroidery that would later become signature
elements of her iconic style. As Reem grew up, her passion for design
continued to evolve and she began designing dresses for herself,
which were brought to life by her personal couturier.
Following her
studies, Reem traveled the world, drawing inspiration from the diverse
countries she visited. After working as an interior designer for
a few years, Reem continued to develop her craft in Hong Kong and
New York where she returned to her fashion roots. In less than 10
years her atelier gained international recognition, sparked by a
high society friend wearing Reem’s first bridal design, a simple
yet embellished creation, to her society wedding. Soon after, Reem
launched her first collection, Reem Acra Bridal, which elevated
classic bridal designs through the use of the finest silks and intricate
beading and embroidery.
As an avid traveler and scholar of culture, Acra’s designs reflect
her innate fashion sense, while evoking distinct elements of European
and American style for a look of global glamour. Introduced in 2003,
her signature evening collection features beautifully constructed
gowns that range in style from simple and elegant to ornate and
embellished. Most recently Acra has translated her aesthetic into
a distinctly modern collection of Ready-to-Wear pieces that are
marked by rich color, lush fabrics, flawless construction and playful
patterns.
The press is
unanimous about her well-deserved success, from the “New York Daily
News”, showing her caftan collection on his front page, up to her
last fashion show concerning her spring 2009 collection, which took
place in Bryant Park, as shown in the “New York Post”.
Furthermore, this is without forgetting the celebrities wearing
her bridal creations, as shown in “People”, when bringing the issue
of gay marriage, concerning actresses, like Ellen DeGeneres tying
the knot with Portia De Rossi.
“Skin Magazine” displayed her colorful bridal gowns, while the “US
Weekly” showed the very classical and sweet gown of Ivana Bozilòvìc
marrying Andrew Firestone.
“WWD” displays the entire fashion season, for instance, including
Reem Acra along with Christian Lacroix, Galliano, and Barbara Tfank.
Many other magazines and newspapers follow in this beautiful list,
but lets’ come back to this great success story.
Acra settled herself as a specialist for Bridal fashion, and launched
her Bridal line in 1995. Lately, she also started expanding her
collection into Ready-To-Wear style, with a taste of the 1920’s,
along with a touch of modernism.
Her success allowed her to sell in the USA, Japan, Canada, Hong
Kong, and Duba?.
Celebrities like actresses Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry, as long
as Royalty personalities are now among her fans. Her creations are
recognized from the luxurious fabrics and rich colors which are
used in them, and, especially, for the refined hand made delicate
details.
Sources:
reemacra.com, wikipedia.org, marthastewartweddings.com, style.com,
fashiondesigners.instyle.com
Book sources:
Freiha, Asma, &Ghanem, Viviane,” Lebanese Imprints”, Volume
1, Dar Assayad, Hazmieh, Lebanon, 2005.
“Femme Magazine”, Sept 2007
Contact: editorial@onefineart.com
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