His name is on everyone's lips.
At only 26 years old, the Anglo-American Harris Reed takes on the role of artistic director of Nina Ricci, announced the French brand on Tuesday September 20.
He thus became the youngest designer to fill this position within the label launched in 1932 by the eponymous seamstress.
A resounding nomination, which is added to the prize list of the precocious designer.
Barely graduated from the prestigious Central Saint Martins School in London (in 2020), Harris Reed can already boast of having made a name for himself in the profession.
Her bombastic creations are hailed by her peers, honored by the press and acclaimed by stars, from Beyoncé to Adele.
Which earned him a dazzling trajectory.
Fight “
for fluidity and beauty
”
Born in Los Angeles, Harris Reed is the son of an English producer, Nicholas Reed, and Lynette Reed, an American model converted into the creation of candles.
The boy registers very early in a gender fluidity.
From his childhood in Arizona, he retains both the “
labels
” that were stuck on him at school and the nail polish and hats with which he invented his identity.
As a young man, he will engage in a “
struggle for fluidity and beauty
”, against the norms that once held him back.
Full screen
Harris Reed and Iman at the 2021 Met Gala. (New York, September 13.) Abaca
In 2018, when Harris Reed was a student at the London fashion school, he caught the attention of a certain Harry Lambert, singer Harry Styles' stylist, who invited him to create his stage outfits.
In search of unique faces, designer Alessandro Michele spotted him and offered him a first opportunity to make himself known as a model, during Gucci's Arles Cruise 2019 fashion show.
But it is alongside Harry Styles that the ascent continues.
At the end of 2020, he was asked to make (in just six days) an outfit to wear the pop singer for a
US Vogue
men's fashion series .
He takes up the challenge with a crinoline.
The first of a long list of stunts.
Starry course
In 2020, the designer's pieces won over actress Emma Watson and singer Lizzo.
The following year, during the Met Gala, the designer dressed model Iman in a radiant dress, then signed a transparent wedding dress that made the rounds on Instagram for influencer Camille Charrière.
The MAC Cosmetics brand also invites her to create a gender-neutral capsule collection.
On his way, he enters the museum.
Harris Reed has been selected by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London to perform in its
Fashion in Motion event series.
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With such a track record, hailed that year by the “Actor of Change” award at the British Fashion Awards, the year 2022 was reaching out to him.
She will exceed her expectations.
On the cover of a special issue of
Harper's Bazaar
on March 1 , Harris Reed, with his long fiery mane and delicate features, is crowned "
face of fluid fashion
".
But it's another cover that will definitely dub it: that of the July issue of the British edition of
Vogue
where the singer Beyoncé appears in Amazon, wearing one of her signature halo hats.
The post costume
Combining the masculine and the feminine, theatricality and the romanticism, the Harris Reed touch has all the ingredients to catch the eye.
It would be wrong, however, to limit the designer to his bombastic pieces, ideal for getting noticed on the red carpet.
Coming from a generation as creative as it is independent, the young prodigy knows how to steer his boat.
His demi-couture offering, offset by a collection of fluid basics, has helped him generate profits every year for the label's three-year existence, he told
WWD .
.
A quality that Nina Ricci, a brand belonging to the Puig group, which has seen several young talents take over in recent years, such as the French designer Guillaume Henry and the Botter duo, cannot ignore.
This new turning point is accompanied by the appointment of Edwin Bodson, former commercial director of JW Anderson, to the position of general manager at Nina Ricci.
A promising duo, which will unveil the fruits of their labor in early 2023.