Roy’s mother is Dutch and her Chennai-born father is Bengali Indian.
AB Wire
Indian American fashion designer Rachel Roy said she is proud of her Indian heritage and the culture of India has influenced her work in many ways.
In an interview with Indo-Asian News Service, Roy said, “It’s always an emotional experience for me as I’m quite proud of my Indian heritage and also quite passionate about philanthropic causes I’m involved in, including Children’s Hope India and World of Children.”
“My father is Indian and I’ve been very fortunate to travel to India several times. This is my second trip in the last few years and I am bringing my daughter Ava again. She joined me on my last trip where we visited New Delhi, Agra, and Goa,” she added
The New York-based fashion designer keeps an emotional bondage with India and her Indian family background has a bearing on her love of color and print.
“Fashion for me is very reflective of culture, a large part of that starts on the streets. When I travel, I make it a point to spend a great deal of time people-watching – seeing what people are wearing as they are in the throws of their life. It’s inspiration to me as I sit and pull together inspiration for collections,” she said.
Roy’s mother is Dutch and her Chennai-born father is Bengali Indian.
Born in California in 1974, Roy earned her bachelor’s degree from Washington Adventist University in Tacoma Park, Maryland. After graduating in 1996, she went to New York to pursue fashion, quickly rising up the ranks to become one of the biggest designers in the industry.
Her collections have been sold at department stores like Saks 5th Avenue and Neiman Marcus, and her clientele includes names like Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Garner, and First Lady Michelle Obama.
She has received recognition from both Hollywood and Bollywood and has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. In addition to her former partnership with The Jones Group, she teamed up with British pop singer Estelle in 2010 on a designer jewelry line to be sold at Macy’s.