Rachel Roy Fashion Brand History

Did you know that Topson Downs develops, markets, and licenses the Rachel Roy fashion brand.

Below is a little bit of the history behind the fashion designer Rachel Roy and the brand ownership history.

Roy's first job in fashion was at age 14, at a Contempo Casuals clothing outlet in her hometown.  After college, she came to New York City, where she worked as a stylist for magazines and music videos.  She became an intern at urban fashion line Rocawear, where she rose to the position of creative director of the women's and children's divisions and met her future husband Damon Dash. In 2005 Roy launched her eponymous fashion collection.

Roy in February 2005.

In early 2006, Roy received a Bollywood industry award for her contribution to American fashion.  In 2007, Roy was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Roy has also received publicity in the teen market, including in Teen Vogue; in their April 2009 issue, Rachel did a “how to,” where she transforms a regular T-shirt into an edgy prom dress.

In June 2008, Jones Apparel Group formed a joint venture with the Rachel Roy brand.

In August 2009, Roy launched The RACHEL Rachel Roy collection, an affordable diffusion line of sportswear, shoes and accessories. The label "RACHEL Rachel Roy" is available exclusively at Macy’s in the United States and at The Bay in Canada.

Roy designed a capsule collection in partnership with model Jessica Stam for Macy’s stores and RachelRoy.com in Fall 2010.

The Rachel Roy brand, formerly operating under The Jones Group, became a Topson Downs property in the summer of 2014, when the manufacturer purchased a majority equity stake in the designer's company, and gave a new home to the brand's six-year-old team dedicated to design, merchandising, sales, production, in-store development and marketing.

Founded January 25, 1971, Topson Downs has over 40 years in the fashion apparel industry.  They started in the downtown Los Angeles fashion scene, with all operations in one small building.  Gradually, Topson expanded into manufacturing worldwide.  In the late seventies, Topson Downs expanded into Mexico.  As a pioneer in outsourced shipping, Topson started a trend that has become mainstream in the garment industry.  

The past decade has been a major expansion era for Topson Downs.  In 1998, they expanded into China and eventually opened a China design room.  Starting with junior apparel, they gradually expanded their product collections to include all categories of women's apparel.

Since they started, the apparel industry has evolved drastically.  Topson Downs was ahead of the curve and began focusing on accommodating the mass-market retailers and specialty stores.  Through building these relationships, Topson Downs has become a reliable supplier for quick response manufacturing.  

Rachel Roy maintains 100 percent control of her name, while Topson Downs is responsible for developing marketing and licensing the brand. The manufacturer also created a new branded head office for Rachel Roy in the heart of New York City's fashion district.

The Rachel Roy collections has been sold at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and other fine retailers.

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