Reem Acra

Reem Acra (Arabic: ريم عكرا) is a fashion designer born in Beirut, Lebanon, known for her eponymous bridal gown line and her ready-to-wear collection.

Biography Early life and education Reem Acra studied at the American University of Beirut, where her parents both worked. Her mother, Nadia, worked in the family medicine department, and her father, Aftim, was a prominent and distinguished academic, professor, public health expert, and an amber collector. She grew up with three brothers, Michael, Fadi, and Sari, in Beirut.

While a teenager, she joined the fashion club at the American University in Beirut where she graduated in 1982 with a business degree. She held a fashion show in June 1982 that attracted 2,000 people. In 1986, she graduated magna cum laude from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and won the Fashion Design Department’s award for her year. After graduating from FIT, Acra studied at the École Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode design school in Paris.

After her studies at ESMOD in Paris, Acra took mainstream fashion design positions in Hong Kong and Taiwan. At the age of 25 she was overseeing a $30 million project, but left after seven years to start her own line in New York.

Fashion design Acra started her company in 1997 as a bridal line, after designing a dress for a friend's wedding in three weeks, on a bet that if she could meet the deadline, her friend, would go through with the wedding, set in Paris at the Hôtel de Crillon.

Her atelier is located on West 35th Street in Manhattan.

Madonna (right) wearing Reem Acra at the 69th Golden Globe Awards in 2012. The following celebrities have worn Acra's gowns: Christina Applegate, Beyoncé, Jane Fonda, Katherine Heigl, Nicole Richie, Taylor Swift, Robin Wright, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Usha Vance, and Allison Janney.

The following celebrities have worn Acra's bridal gowns during their weddings; LeAnn Rimes, Jenna Dewan, and Marcia Cross.

In August 2007, a limited edition Reem Acra Bride Barbie doll was released, intended for adult collectors.

In 2021, Reem Arca dressed Jill Biden for the inauguration of President Biden.

A photograph through the front window of Reem Acra's Beirut boutique. In November 2010, she opened a store in Beirut, which sells Acra's evening wear and ready-to-wear collections, in addition to accessories and a bridal salon. The store is located at 94 Avenue Foch. Acra's retail reach is spread throughout all major fancy international destinations. Acra also launched a line on the Home Shopping Network in September 2010.

In 2014, Acra designed and produced the uniforms for the American University of Beirut Medical Center, where her parents both had worked.

Awards and honors Building Bridges award (October 2014) from Bridges of Understanding Member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America Member of the Dubai Design and Fashion Council since its creation Ellis Island award

Personal life Homes Acra's home in New York City is a 3,200-square-foot loft in the Garment District, Manhattan. A New York magazine profile of Acra's apartment describes it as featuring: "... striking photograph by Ruvén Afanador ... part of an ad campaign for Acra's bridal business; she enlarged it and let it take over a wall, transforming the image into a piece of art. A table was fashioned from blocks of resin that contain delicate pieces of sequin-embroidered lace that Acra used in her first bridal designs, an idea inspired by her father's collection of amber.

In addition to her New York City loft, Acra bought and renovated a 2,400-square-foot apartment in the husk of a bombed-out, 19th-century building in Saifi Village near downtown Beirut. A Wall Street Journal story on the apartment characterizes it as having minimal furnishings and bold colors. "I didn't want to overwhelm the place with things," Acra told a reporter for the story. Acra also has sponsored FEI's annual Best Athlete award.

Acra has designed gowns for the winners of her namesake Reem Acra Athlete of the Year award winners Adelinde Cornelissen and Charlotte Dujardin.