This article is about the fashion designer from Louisiana. For articles about other men of the same name, see
Billy Reid (disambiguation).
Billy Reid (born June 13, 1964) is an American
fashion designer based in
Florence, Alabama.[1][2] His line includes menswear, womenswear, accessories and eyewear. His clothing, self-described as "lived-in luxury"[3] and "broken-in luxury",[4][5] is known for its unusual accents and
Southern influence. Reid summarizes his brand's concept as "American luxury built to last".[6] Billy Reid,
Marc Jacobs,
Tom Ford, and
Michael Kors are the only fashion designers who have won 3 or more
CFDA Awards.[7]
Early life and education
Reid grew up in
Amite, Louisiana (/eɪˈmiːt/ay-MEET),[8] just south of the
Mississippi border.[9][10] He helped his mother operate a women's clothing boutique located in his grandmother's home which stocked then-new brands including
Gloria Vanderbilt and
Calvin Klein.[11][12] Reid's hobbies included outdoor activities in the surrounding Southeast Louisiana wetlands.[13] Reid's first job was at family friend Joe Buddy Anderson's menswear store The Royal Oak in
Hammond, Louisiana.[11] Originally wanting to become a football coach during his youth,[14] Reid attended
Southeastern Louisiana University and then transferred to the
Art Institute of Dallas to study
fashion design and
merchandising. While studying full-time at the Art Institute of Dallas, he worked full-time for
Saks Fifth Avenue in men's tailored clothes and sportswear, opening the
Polo Ralph Lauren shop-in-shop. After graduating, a
stockbroker friend convinced a 23-year-old Reid to join him in moving to California to pursue acting. Reid abandoned the Hollywood dream after three days and instead worked for six years at
Reebok International at the beginning of the brand's introduction of clothing, first selling in a five-state territory and then working in design in New York City for the brand's presence in
Foot Locker. Reid moved to
Boston and travelled across the globe for the first collections of Australian golfer
Greg Norman.[9][15] After moving to
Texas with his future wife, he later did
freelance design for
Fruit of the Loom,
Neiman Marcus,
Takashimaya, and
J. C. Penney.[9]
In the initial aftermath of 9/11, Reid reached out to
Reebok,
TaylorMade and other contacts to find freelance design work to make ends meet for his wife and young children. After the economy improved, Reid's post-9/11
business model built up a small namesake chain of shops which reflected his "personality and his aesthetic," loaded with antiques, family heirlooms and reclaimed architectural materials.[13] In 2004,
Charles Moore, legendary
photographer of the Civil Rights Movement,[23][24][25][26] shot the first photos for the brand.[27][28] The first Billy Reid stores opened in 2004 in Dallas and Houston showing menswear only; the women's collection started in 2007. Wholesale distribution began in 2009. Wholesale still accounts for about half of the brand's
revenue.[citation needed]
The company headquarters is in
Florence, Alabama, in a historic bookstore. Downstairs is his
flagship shop and upstairs is his design studio. The brand operates 12 directly-owned stores with a unique atmosphere: well-worn chairs and carpets, antique
chandeliers, mounted animals, and antique apothecary cabinets.[29] Reid has said: "We're based in Alabama and work in New York; It's the balance of those two worlds that our aesthetic is about."[30] Reid cites
Ralph Lauren,
Calvin Klein,
Perry Ellis as influential American designers, and has named
Bill Robinson as "one of [his] biggest influences."[31]Vogue noted the brand's "relaxed charm and rolled-up elegance."[32] In early 2017, Observer magazine called Reid "perhaps the most-likable player on the American menswear scene."[33]The Washington Post has described Reid's aesthetic as "worn luxury".[34] and
W magazine named it "Southern Gentleman sartorialism".[35]Vogue described the fall 2018 collection as "country luxury".[36]
In early 2018, Mark Daley became the
CEO, joining the brand from
Smythson,[37] and serving until December 2020 upon taking the helm of
Esprit.[38]
In 2019 The New York Times described the brand as "at once classic and urbane, while still rugged, coarse and unafraid of hard work."[39]
Billy Reid Inc. acquired the direct-to-consumer arm of
made-to-measure company Knot Standard in 2024; Knot Standard will be a minority shareholder in the combined business.[41][42][43][44] The purchase will expand Reid’s retail locations from 12 to 20 in the US.[45]
The Billy Reid eyewear collection includes sunglasses and optical frames,[49][50][51] and
made in Japan with
CR-39 lenses. The collection included sunglasses modeled on Reid's signature personal frames made from sustainable buffalo horn. Design details include
leather-wrapped frames, ultra-light
titanium nose pads, Italian
acetate, and gradient lenses.[52] The eyewear capsule collection debuted in the
Frank Lloyd Wright-designed
Rosenbaum House in August 2017 as part of the annual Billy Reid Shindig,[53][54][55] and 13 styles were delivered to stores in November 2017.[56] The limited-edition
buffalo horn frame sunglasses named for Billy and his wife are boxed in wood finished with an ancient Japanese wood-burning technique called yakisugi (
焼杉) meaning "burnt
cypress".[57][58] Reid names
Michael Caine and
Buddy Holly as icons of men's eyewear style.[59]
The fall/winter 2017 collection included shirts with
yellowhammer embroidery, and the bird became a de facto symbol of the brand.[60] As the
state bird of
Alabama,[61] the subspecies of Colaptes auratus is known by the common name "yellowhammer", a term that originated during the
American Civil War to describe soldiers from Alabama.[62] The bird has black and gold striping on its wing that is similar to the Billy Reid Signature Heirloom Ribbon, a black and gold ribbon with a bias stripe.[63]
The brand releases new products 10 times per year rather than once per season.[64]
Reid has hosted "a multicultural weekend of fashion, art, food, music & friends" called Shindig,[77][78] which started as an informal gathering of close friends in 2009,[79][80] and was held for its 8th Alabama summer edition in late summer 2016.[81] That year, attendees included musician
Jack White,[82] musician Alison Mosshart of
The Kills, model Matthew Mosshart, the band
Dawes,
Tony Award winning actor
Alex Sharp,[83] musician
John Paul White and
The Watson Twins, jewelry designer Pamela Love, Chef
John Currence, Master Brewer Roy Milner of
Blackberry Farm Brewery, former
Bloomingdales men's fashion director Josh Peskowitz, and designer Natalie Chanin of
Alabama Chanin.[81][84]
On March 17, 2016 Reid and
Newport Folk Festival hosted Austin Shindig No. 6 during the annual
SXSW festival at Weather Up in
Austin, Texas. The lineup that year included country music singer
Kacey Musgraves, American funk/soul/R&B singer Charles Bradley, and Muscle Shoals native and artist, Dylan Leblanc; American alternative country musician, "Jonny" Fritz was the MC at the event.[98]
A Billy Reid Shindig event was held at
Blackberry Farm in
Walland, Tennessee on November 16–19, 2017.[99] Grammy award-winning artist and producer,
Dan Auerbach performed;
James Beard award-winning chef and author Daniel Patterson cooked for the group; and winemaker Russell From of Herman Story Wines in
Paso Robles guided a
wine tasting.[100] A follow-up Blackberry Farm Shindig was held in November 2018.[101][102] The guest chef was Edouardo Jordan of Salare and JuneBaby, and the guest winemaker was Cushing Donelan of Donelan Wines.[103]
Retail locations
Dallas and Houston were the first cities in which the brand opened retail stores, followed a year later by the
flagship store in Florence, Alabama. Billy Reid shops are located in:[104]
Reid,
Derek Lam,
Reed Krakoff,
Simon Doonan, and other fashion industry experts formed the advisory board for the
Cadillac/
CFDA Retail Lab mentorship program,[130][131] which provided a $75,000 grant along with business development, marketing, and PR assistance for six up-and-coming designers.[132]
The GunRunner Boutique Hotel in
Florence, Alabama, has a Billy Reid Suite featuring a ladder and sleeping loft,[133] and is curated with items rotated in and out on a regular basis.[134] As a part of designing the space, Reid personally built the bed for the room.[135]
In 2013, the brand partnered with
Coach on a collection of bags and wallets.[136]
In 2019 the brand partnered with
Balvenie Scotch, showcasing the 12-year DoubleWood at all Billy Reid retail locations and all Shindig events.[137][138]
The brand collaborates with chefs including
Katie Button to host dinner parties known as Supper Series in the brand's boutiques.[139]
Billy Reid is a corporate sponsor of the
Southern Foodways Alliance,[142] and the brand produced a
capsule collection of T-shirts, sweatshirts, caps and chef aprons to promote the member-funded nonprofit organization;[143] 20% of proceeds from the collection benefited the Southern Foodways Alliance.[144]
Following the catastrophic inland flooding caused by
Hurricane Harvey,[145][146] with economic losses estimated at between $70 billion to $200 billion,[147] Reid hosted a warehouse sale at his Austin store and sent all proceeds to members of the
Greater Houston restaurant community,[148] and donated all proceeds from a custom created t-shirt to relief efforts.[149]
The brand hosted an April 2018 sample sale
pop-up shop at
SCAD; the proceeds from the sale supported SCAD student scholarships.[150]
Reid is a fan of the
New Orleans Saints,[159] and designed a custom black and gold
football from
Louisiana wild alligator leather for an
NFLSuper Bowl 50 charity auction.[160][161]
Reid is also a "huge
LSU fan" and has "probably listened to or watched every game that's been on in [his] lifetime."[162]