Rose Marie Reid

Rose Marie Reid, born Rose Marie Yancey (September 12, 1906, in Cardston, Alberta, Canada – December 16, 1978, in Provo, Utah, United States), was a successful Canadian-born American swimsuit designer from the 1940s–60s.

Reid moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, following her divorce. Her swimsuits dominated the American market and were popular in western Europe, South America, and Australia. She was also the first designer to introduce dress sizes in swimwear, designing swimwear for multiple sizes and types of bodies, rather than just producing one standard size. Her company patented a machine for a fagotting stitch that became a hallmark of her designs.

Awards and success In 1958, Reid was awarded the Sporting Look of the Year Award by Sports Illustrated and in 1955, she was named one of the Ten Women of the Year by the Los Angeles Times. She was also nominated for Designer of the Year in 1956 by Sports Illustrated, although she didn't win. Her company was extremely successful in the 1950s. The 1951 gross of Rose Marie Reid, Inc. of $3.5 million increased nearly fivefold to $18.1 million by 1960. Combined, her Canadian and U.S. factories increased production between 1952 and 1959 from 1,000 to 10,000 suits per day. With Richards' encouragement, Reid authored a lesson plan for explaining Mormonism to Jewish investigators. Reid also helped with many fundraising efforts for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including fundraising for the construction of church buildings and the Los Angeles California Temple in 1954. She designed the "Starlight" swimsuit and had local Relief Society members sew sequins onto the suits. This suit, also known as the "Relief Society Suit", sold for $50. In 1959, Rose Marie was asked by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to redesign LDS temple garments. Rose Marie Reid was also a very generous benefactor to Brigham Young University and served on the National Advisory Council. She also gave a "Devotional" speech at Brigham Young University in 1953.

Legacy Reid left her company in 1963 over disagreements over the design and production of bikinis. She moved to Provo, Utah, in 1967 to be closer to family. In the late 1960s, Reid helped her son, Bruce, start The R&M Living Wig company. She died on December 16, 1978, in her daughter Carole's home in Provo, Utah.

The largest holding of Rose Marie Reid's papers and swimsuits is in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections of the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, (see external links). On August 17, 2015, the Harold B. Lee Library launched a 9-month exhibit about Reid's life and career entitled Rose Marie Reid: Glamour by Design. An online exhibit was also released in conjunction with the actual exhibit . Both exhibits were curated by the L. Tom Perry Special Collections curator of 20th- and 21st-century Western and Mormon Americana manuscripts, John Murphy.