A commitment to family – and herself – brought Rachel Roy to Los Angeles two years ago, and the designer has found steadfast support, business partnership, and the natural light she craves in the city she now calls home.
“The initial reason for the move was to have space and room for my kids to grow,” Roy said over mint tea at The Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge. “I think any time you make a decision based on your children and what’s best for them, it’s what’s best for you.”
The designer has made a clear commitment to strike a work-life balance in L.A., even if it means monthly trips back east, which require leaving daughters Tallulah and Ava.
Though she now savors her new Left Coast life, the move was still overwhelming after 19 years in New York City. “From the time that it started as an idea, it probably took me three years to be brave enough to leave New York,” the designer, who has lived in L.A. before and often visited for events and during the awards season, admitted. “I was most worried about how it would affect business, because the business is not only my brand, it’s also how I take care of my family.”
And that brand has grown its footprint since Roy’s move. Not only did Roy meet her partners Topson Downs after moving out to L.A. – “that’s just how the universe works” – but she also holds fit sessions while here via an Apple TV setup.
Roy even makes part of her collection out of L.A. now, though she admitted: “I wouldn’t necessarily have to if I lived in New York, but I do it because I’m here and it’s convenient.” The proximity and ability to tap into L.A.’s vast production resources is undeniable, an advantage Roy acknowledges.
With those advantages also come the disadvantages – and challenges – though Roy is quick to point out that nothing’s surprised her since the move. “You have lots and lots of discussions and they’re not face to face, and the tone of emails is never the tone you take with someone in person,” she said, referring to moments of misinterpretation and the added challenge of remotely managing personalities in a staff of nearly 50.
“It’s all do-able, the travel is do-able,” she said. ”You have to be willing to wake up with New York, but you can check out when New York checks out here, too.”
And despite the city’s laid-back stereotype, Roy has tapped into a network of likeminded, hardworking women whom she credits with supporting her – and her business.
The Vault, a network of professional women, which she was introduced to by Willow Bay, enabled her to find her place in L.A., not just as a woman in fashion, but also as a female entrepreneur. “I immediately met hardworking women that had the exact same hours as me, so I didn’t have the opportunity to feel alone or misunderstood here.”
Despite the change of scenery, Roy remains equal parts hippie-chic and classic, an aesthetic forged from an upbringing in Northern California, time in D.C. and nearly two decades in New York. She continues to grow her brand and just launched Curvy, and her first foray into publishing with “Design Your Life.”
The just-released book, a style guide with personal insights from Roy’s own journey, was the indirect result of a fatigued movie pitch, which led to an unexpected meeting with a literary agent and the chance to tell her own story through this medium. “I always want to be working on something creative,” she said.
Creativity also bounds from the joy and peace she finds in L.A.’s natural light and abundant space. “Every year, I grow smarter from life experiences and I become a more confident, happier, peaceful person. Would that have happened in New York?” she asked. “It might have taken longer.”
Editor’s Note: L.A. Stories is a recurring series that spotlights Los Angeles-based CFDA Members discussing how operating out of the City of Angels has helped shape their business with unique opportunities.