Reese Cooper

UNIQUE VISION & QUICK ASCENSION

Born in Atlanta, raised in London, and currently living in Los Angeles where his work is created, Cooper combines the influences of his travels with the skills he obtained in each location, working behind the scenes in various fashionrelated fields. With each of his collections linked by a common thematic thread, Cooper’s work is presented from the perspective of a storyteller, composing new chapters every season for a continuing narrative showcasing his modern view of classic Americana. We caught up Reese Cooper to talk about his journey in the industry and his output thus far.

established brands because they recognize I am still learning the business. The reality is I am young and new to this and doing my best to figure it out as we go, so I appreciate everyone’s support and understanding of that.

You seem proactive in charitable causes and the bigger picture. Would you agree? Would you say that the industry needs more of that?

The way I look at is, if I have this platform and ability to generate money and awareness, you

Your seasonal collections have very thoughtful and provocative story backgrounds. I assume this is an important part of the process for you. Will you always work within these themes? Would you say it gives your label a purpose?

It helps give the design a North Star for me. I look at everything involved in a collection cohesively. Colour palette is inspired by location, choreography or music or some form of show inspired by xyz silhouettes, it all has to flow. Having a centralized theme helps me keep everything somewhat tight knit. I usually know what I want to talk about and then branch out from there.

Your age is always referenced. Would you say that your youngage has provided positive press and put a spotlight on you or would you say its made people skeptical and put a target on your back, or a combination of the two.

I think a mixture of both. I truly have mixed feelings about it. On one hand I feel like I get looked down upon or not taken seriously in certain business situations. On the other hand, I think the industry has been more forgiving towards me based on my age. Things go wrong for everyone, but I’ve found people have been more lenient on me than more have to use it for the right things. I’m really proud to be with 1% For The Planet, I’m proud of my tree planting program with One Tree Planted, working with local organizations like Create Now in DTLA, all these things really add up. What also excites me though is the ability to hone in on causes such as Mt Wilson Observatory. The hoodies and t-shirts we released on show-day with the proceeds going towards the Observatory allowed me to make the biggest donation I’ve ever been able to a cause. This is a pretty long winded way to say I’m super grateful for everyone who supports us in these efforts. The power of people coming together and supporting even via a t-shirt is 100x the impact I could make without this company and platform.

Would you say that youth has its benefits in fashion? Do you help inspire future generations to pursue fashion.

I think youth has its benefits in any industry! Doing your own brand is no different than any other type of start-up company. It’s extremely long days, not a lot of good night’s sleeps, a lot of expensive mistakes. But it’s super rewarding if you can power through it. I can’t imagine trying to start something like this later in life with more responsibilities and less energy.