How do Harris Reed’s creations challenge fashion?

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His name resonates throughout the fashion world and beyond, his vision amazes, seduces, and questions. Harris Reed’s creations open conversations with their gender-fluid axis, establishing a freedom of body and thought. Discover his colorful, oversized, and spectacular fashion, along with the themes that nourish his demi-couture pieces.

Who is the designer Harris Reed?

At just 26 years old, this Anglo-American designer already has an impressive background, and this is just the beginning. Fueled by great ambitions and a desire to make an impact for a generation seeking representation, he who dreamed of leading his own brand, becoming an artistic director, attending the MET Gala, and getting married has already checked these boxes, just 3 years after graduating from the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London, and is now aiming for new creative territories at Nina Ricci.

Although his parents, an artist mother and an Oscar-winning film producer father, opened some doors for him, the vision and talent of the young designer have allowed him to gain recognition and respect in the industry, becoming the most sought-after designer, with actors and singers wishing to be wrapped in the theatricality of his oversized draping on the red carpets.

After a nomadic childhood in the United States, alongside his mother and sister, followed by a gap year in France, his arrival in London marked a turning point in his initiatory journey, both towards the designer and the person he has become today. Two intimately linked facets that have refined his creations into a style he describes as “Romanticism turned non-binary”.

It was at the renowned Central Saint Martins that Harris Reed pursued a Bachelor’s degree, like many designers featured in the series Next in Fashion. Life has its ways, Henry Lambert, then stylist for Harry Styles, at the time and present at the school’s The White Show event, noticed Harris Reed’s creations, who was showcasing an exceptionally large white hat for the occasion. The designer was then commissioned by the stylist to create stage outfits for the singer’s 2018 tour, bringing his work into the spotlight.

Joining the Gucci house for an internship, Harris Reed’s creations, his universe, and especially his androgynous profile and gender fluidity were spotted by the former whimsical artistic director of the house, Alessandro Michele. He brought Harris into the spotlight by incorporating him into a perfume campaign and having him walk in the 2019 cruise collection.

With diploma in hand, Harris Reed’s creations allowed him to secure a residency at The Standard hotel in London, where he developed his first collection, which opened the first gender-neutral Fashion Week in London.

By sharing his creations on social media, his visibility grew, and he found himself creating outfits for big names, from Solange Knowles to Olly Alexander. Instead of traditional runway shows, Harris Reed’s creations are presented via red carpets, including the iconic MET Gala, or through performances, events, and collaborations with artists like Sam Smith, Selena Gomez, or Camille Charrière.

In 2020, Anna Wintour called upon him to design one of the outfits worn by Harry Styles during the Vogue shoot, a skirt that turned heads and sparked conversations. Harris Reed’s creations led him to pose for the cover of Harper’s Bazaar before dressing Beyoncé for Vogue.

Winning numerous awards, featured in various magazines from the New York Times to Elle, with creations displayed at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, collaborations with Lexus, Etro, designs with MAC Cosmetics and Missoma for gender-neutral ranges… The vision and creations of Harris Reed have built his reputation, elevating him at just 26 years old to the head of the creation for one of the historic French houses.

Why do Harris Reed’s creations provoke thought?

If Harris Reed’s creations stand out so much, it’s because of their message and the new vision of fashion that they support, which aligns with the new expectations of Generation Z.

Having always known who he was and coming out at the age of 9, it was only upon arriving in London and mingling with the London queer community that he discovered the diversity of profiles, as well as the notion of gender fluidity. A turning point that made him question and shape his personality by playing with his identity.

An initiatory path, constantly evolving, that has nourished Harris Reed’s creations, which are an illustration of his mentality, his duality, and a form of escape. His fashion presents itself as he emphasizes 50% design and 50% activism. What the designer seeks is not beauty but sharing a message, opening discussions, and advancing mindsets.

His wish is to offer everyone inclusive fashion, a space where one can feel good, confident, oneself, proud, without fear of judgment. This is how his pieces are presented by individuals of all backgrounds or none, and of all sexual orientations.

This aspect of messaging is what created a turning point in Harris Reed’s creations, allowing him to set out on the path to success. After creations that did not stand out, both in menswear and womenswear, the designer underwent a creative shift, deciding to stop creating pieces as they “should be designed” and to create pieces in the image of those he wore. That is to say, clothes in which he felt comfortable, showcased, and confident.

Harris Reed’s creations echo as much as his own personality inspires many people, conveying their gratitude to him daily for the change he initiates.

How will Harris Reed’s creations transform the image of Nina Ricci?

By choosing the vision and creations of Harris Reed to succeed the Dutch duo Lisi Herrebrugh and Rushemy Botterà, Nina Ricci is completely rethinking its positioning and is preparing to enter a new era.

This repositioning is also seen in other brands, such as recently at Desigual, or brands like Lacoste wanting to approach creation from a collective perspective rather than that of a single artistic director.

By calling upon the designer, the French brand is rethinking its target audience as well as its approach to the question of gender, which is very codified within the house. Furthermore, Harris Reed’s creations generally having a grand spectacle aspect, more than ready-to-wear, suggest that Nina Ricci likely aims to attract certain media coverage.

For his first runway show, Harris Reed immersed himself in the archives of the house, which he views as a true goldmine and a symbol of a glorious period lost for some years. With the desire to restore the house’s creativity while proposing a “very Ricci” woman who “does not apologize,” the designer, who is the youngest artistic director of the house since its founding, infused his DNA into the pieces, featuring spectacular, voluminous cuts in bright colors, polka dots, and stripes.

Additionally, in the choice of models for the runway, he wanted it to be inclusive, showcasing varied silhouettes that enhance their forms with pieces that are suited to them and highlight them. Nina Ricci changes its tone and image in a single runway show, enveloped in boldness, glamour, and red carpet spirit.

Harris Reed’s creations for Nina Ricci have been gradually presented to us via the designer’s preferred communication channel, highlighting singers and actors with his creativity. Adele, Harry Styles, and Florence Pugh have thus donned the first Nina Ricci pieces, revealing the new identity of the French house that designer Harris Reed is beginning to shape.

His first runway show stood out during Paris Fashion Week, officially launching this new adventure for him and the Nina Ricci house. For him, this represents an approach to creation that is the opposite of that for his eponymous brand, with a team of skilled hands bringing his ideas to life, without him having to sew his pieces himself. An experience that promises to be rich in learning, sharing, and creation, to elevate the house into a mode resonating with modernity.

Having chosen to continue working on his own brand in parallel to his position as artistic director at Nina Ricci, Harris Reed’s creations have a bright future ahead, in different universes, but which will surely converge in their message and vision of fashion made for everyone to feel good in their skin and be showcased as they are.

Photos: Pinterest, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar