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Harris Reed

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harris Reed
Harris Reed in 2020.
Born (1996-05-20) 20 May 1996 (age 28)
Nationality
  • British
  • American
EducationCentral St. Martin's
OccupationFashion designer
Parents
Websiteharrisreed.com

Harris Reed is a British-American fashion designer[1] and creative director for French fashion house Nina Ricci.[2] He is the son of the Oscar-winning, British documentary film producer Nicholas Reed and the American model and candlemaker Lynette Reed.[3][4]

Style

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Reed is best known for creating gender fluid designs that often play with themes of masculinity and femininity.[5][6] He describes his aesthetic as "Romanticism gone non-binary" and refers to his work as "demi-couture," being handmade but composed of affordable materials.[5][7] Trademark features of Reed's design work include the fusion of traditionally masculine forms with sculptural skirts or dresses, and his work is often accessorized with extravagantly large hats or headpieces.[5]

Personal life

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Reed is gay and identifies as genderfluid.

Education

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Reed attended public high school at The Centre School in Seattle. Reed is a 2020 graduate of Central Saint Martin's in London. Due to shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he had to design and produce garments without access to the school's facilities. His final collection before graduation – produced in his London apartment using a £20 iron, a Singer sewing machine ordered online, DIY glue, and a discarded foam mannequin that he found by a skip – debuted in British Vogue and was showcased virtually via Instagram.[3] Around that time, Reed also debuted a line of scented candles designed in collaboration with his mother, Lynette Reed.[8] After graduation, Reed accepted an invitation to be the designer-in-residence at The Standard Hotel in London.[9]

Career

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When British singer and actor Harry Styles became the first man to be featured on the cover of Vogue magazine in December 2020, Reed was tapped by Anna Wintour to design an outfit for the feature article: a tailored suit with a hoopskirt dress.[4][10] Styles' high-profile appearance in Reed's dress on the cover of Vogue sparked both controversy and celebration for the ways that the garment challenges gender norms in clothing.[11]

In 2021, Reed was awarded "Breakthrough Designer" in GQ magazine's annual "Men of the Year" awards.[12] That year, Reed collaborated with Dolce & Gabbana, dressing the supermodel Iman for the 2021 Met Gala and accompanying her to the event in a matching outfit.[13] His gender-neutral clothing collection was modeled at the first-ever gender-neutral London Fashion Week that September, and he also launched a line of jewelry with Missoma and collaborated with MAC cosmetics to issue the Harris Reed x MAC Collection.[4][5][14]

In 2022, Reed's work was selected for inclusion at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London as part of the museum's first-ever exhibition dedicated to menswear, Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear.[15] In the exhibit, an outfit that Reed designed and modeled in 2017 is juxtaposed with the clothing featured in a 1753 portrait of French writer Jacques Cazotte, as painted by French portraitist Jean-Baptiste Perronneau.[5][16]

Besides frequent collaborator Harry Styles, many other notable individuals have worn Reed's designs, including Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Solange Knowles, Adele, Selena Gomez, Shakira, Miley Cyrus, Ezra Miller, Troye Sivan, Olly Alexander, Tommy Dorfman, and Emma Watson.[4][17][18][19][20] His work has been featured in Vogue, GQ, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Elle, Cosmopolitan, and Harper's Bazaar, among other publications.[5][13][20][21][22][23][24]

Reed cites many wide-ranging influences, including Belgian fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester, British aristocrat Henry Paget, British performer Lindsay Kemp, British singer David Bowie, the American rock band the New York Dolls, Romanticism, and glam rock.[5][18][25][26]

References

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  1. ^ Freeman, Liam (22 May 2020). "Harris Reed On Creating A CSM Final-Year Collection In Lockdown, Modelling For Gucci, And Dressing Harry Styles". Vogue. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Nina Ricci taps gender-fluid designer Harris Reed". 21 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Meet Harris Reed: The CSM Student Modelling For Gucci & Dressing Harry Styles". British Vogue. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
  4. ^ a b c d "Designer Harris Reed: 'How are we still outraged by me putting Harry Styles in a dress?' | Fashion". The Guardian. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Mead, Rebecca (20 September 2021). "Height of Glamour". The New Yorker. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Harris Reed Debuts Graduation Collection in Lockdown, Spreads Message of Inclusivity". 23 May 2020.
  7. ^ "About". Harris Reed. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  8. ^ "Harris Reed's World Smells Like Charred Roses and Patchouli". PAPER. 2020-09-23. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  9. ^ "London Designer in Residence: Harris Reed". www.standardhotels.com. December 2020. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  10. ^ "Playtime With Harry Styles: "You Can Never Be Overdressed"". Vogue. 2020-11-13. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
  11. ^ "Harry Styles' Vogue cover left fans breathless. Now conservatives are fired up too". Los Angeles Times. 2020-11-16. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
  12. ^ "GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2021 winners: from Ed Sheeran to Anthony Hopkins". British GQ. September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Iman Glowed in Gold Dolce & Gabbana x Harris Reed on the Met Gala 2021 Red Carpet". Harper's Bazaar. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  14. ^ Nguyen, Andrew (2021-09-20). "Lavish Jewels for the Romantic Goth". The Cut. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  15. ^ "V&A's upcoming exhibition explores the evolution of menswear". Harper's BAZAAR. 2021-10-12. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  16. ^ "Jean-Baptiste Perronneau | Jacques Cazotte | NG6435 | National Gallery, London". www.nationalgallery.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  17. ^ "Harris Reed unveils their "fluid and flamboyant" graduate collection". GAY TIMES. 2020-05-23. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  18. ^ a b "Harris Reed: 'Fuck it, I'm doing it anyway. I am part of the change'". British GQ. 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  19. ^ Hendren, Joshua (15 July 2021). "Glass talks to gender-nonbinary actor Tommy Dorfman – The Glass Magazine". Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  20. ^ a b Harding, Natasha (2021-10-18). "Emma Watson's latest look is made from recycled wedding dresses". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  21. ^ Anbouba, Margaux (2021-01-12). "Designer Harris Reed Is Breaking the Beauty Mold With The Help of M.A.C". ELLE. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  22. ^ "Views From the Bridge, America's Most Over-the-Top Classic-Car Exhibition". Vanity Fair. 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  23. ^ Friedman, Vanessa; Trebay, Guy (2021-02-24). "Gender, Lockdown and Really Good Outerwear". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  24. ^ Howarth, Alice (2022-01-13). "You can buy Adele's Harris Reed X Missoma jewellery from her new video RN". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  25. ^ "Presenting the Harry Styles-approved Harris Reed gender-fluid collection". British GQ. 2020-05-23. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  26. ^ "Harris Reed Spring 2022 Ready-to-Wear Collection". Vogue. 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2022-02-07.