Who Is Harris Reed?
Get to know the half-American, half-British designer who is championing fluid fashion as the creative director of Nina Ricci and his own eponymous label.
If you aren't sure why you couldn't look away from Iman's 2023 Met Gala look or you've never quite forgotten some of Harry Styles' most iconic photoshoots, the answer is Harris Reed. The British-American designer is one of the most exciting young voices in fashion today as he seeks to spotlight fluidity in fashion.
"The overall DNA of the Harris Reed brand and personal identity is best described as Romanticism Gone Nonbinary. It puts the wearer and their fluidity - in whatever way it manifests, front and center," the designer's website reads.
Reed's success as a designer started out while he was still in school. In 2018, he earned his first-ever client Harry Styles. As Styles was on a world tour for his debut solo album, his stylist Harry Lambert decided to collaborate with Reed on a custom tour outfit. The outfit was met with endless support from Harry Styles fans and fashion fans alike, and suddenly Reed's designs were in high demand from a slew of other celebrities.
In an emotional Instagram post marking the career milestone, Reed wrote, "I am beyond honoured and humbled to say that my first ever client is the incredible, talented, and extremely supportive @harrystyles... As a young designer still in school studying my craft, I have no words for how incredibly grateful I am to have Harry’s unending support. To have worked together on this project was truly the most extraordinary back and forth collaboration I could have ever asked for."
With billowing sleeves, large headpieces, and sculptural silhouettes, Harris Reed designs are singular and showstopping. Reed blends bold colors with elegant, classic design techniques like draping and pleating to create gender-fluid clothing that subtly calls to mind the Edwardian era of fashion.
Following his initial collaboration with Styles, Reed made several other custom looks for his tour and subsequently caught the attention of celebrities like Solange and Ezra Miller, immediately forming high-profile relationships in the fashion industry with designers like the former creative director of Gucci, Alessandro Michele.
Dressing high-profile clients has been a throughline in Reed's career since the beginning. Beyoncé, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Conan Gray, Emma Watson, Billie Eilish, and Lil Nas X are just a handful of the celebrities who have worn designs by Harris Reed in the past. From Met Gala red carpets to award shows and editorial photoshoots, Harris Reed pieces continue to be some of the most eye-catching and compelling designs in recent years.
One of Harris Reed's strengths as a designer since starting out has been his ability to maintain consistent relationships with clients and brands. Most people who wear Harris Reed once go on to wear several other designs after, and Reed has become good friends with celebrities like Florence Pugh who have been long-time supporters of his work. Reed continues to design for Harry Styles consistently ever since their first collaboration in 2018 (most recently, Styles wore Nina Ricci by Harris Reed to the Brit Awards in 2023).
Reed's openness to creative collaboration has served to strengthen not only his reputation as a designer but also his creative process itself. The Harris Reed design process has always been rooted in a mindset of inclusivity. Reed often draws inspiration from current social and political issues to assess "the responsibility that fashion has to spark conversation in relation to the injustices that are happening within society today, while staying true to the brand’s ethos that strives for a vision of gender fluidity," the brand's website reads.
Besides designing his demi-couture collections, Reed has launched limited edition home fragrances, a jewelry collaboration with Missoma, a collaboration on blouses made from archival fabrics with Etro and a Fluid Basics line under his own label. He also had past campaigns with Gucci for the Gucci Mémoire d'un Odeur fragrance and Gucci Cruise 2019. In 2021, he collaborated with MAC cosmetics on their first gender fluid makeup line.
Currently, Harris Reed serves as the creative director for Nina Ricci, a French fashion house, while he continues to design his own eponymous label. He was appointed to Nina Ricci in 2022 and debuted his first collection with the brand in early 2023. At the helm of Nina Ricci, Reed has been committed to expanding the brand's perspectives and reach. He has already dressed stars like Adele and Sabrina Carpenter in new Nina Ricci designs. As signature styles and choices continue to make themselves clear in Reed's work, he is well on his way to earning a reputation and legacy as a key figure in gender fluid design.
Below, discover more of Reed's signature designs and major red carpet moments.
