Despite not having a formal education in fashion, the multidisciplinary designer, Reese Cooper, has been making his mark in the fashion community. Last year, at just 21 years old, Reese Cooper made history by becoming the youngest ever finalist for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award. I even find myself writing this article wearing a t-shirt and hoodie from his FW19 “Hitchhiking” and SS20 “How a Letter Travels” offerings (respectively). With collections inspired by his experiences, his non-experiences and discoveries he’s made along the way, Reese Cooper is positioned to become America’s next favorite heritage brand. Launching his brand at just 18 years old, the Florida-born, Atlanta/London-raised, and now LA-displaced designer has made leaps and bounds while making sure that his voice is heard along the way.

Now with a Paris Fashion week showing under his belt for his FW20 collection “If a Tree Falls,” Cooper has positioned himself on a global stage ready to press onward. We caught up with Cooper to delve a little deeper into his brand, his experiences so far, and the future of Reese Cooper.

For those who are unfamiliar, can you give a quick rundown of Reese Cooper the person and Reese Cooper the brand?

“Reese Cooper the person and brand to me are one in the same.  As a person, I’m very curious and inspired by the outdoors and working with my hands.  The goal is to translate that into the products and imagery!  The quick version is I use the brand as a creative outlet for storytelling and product design.”

How did the Reese Cooper brand go from an idea to a reality? What drew you to clothing as a medium?

“Clothing is a very accessible medium to get into, alongside painting and photography.  The difference for me was the satisfaction from watching an idea turn into something I could wear relatively quickly.  The feeling is addicting!  I kept experimenting, eventually found my voice and doubled down on the idea and did a full collection in AW18.”

You have lived in a variety of different states, countries, and continents- how has that shaped you as a designer and what ultimately made you settle in LA?

“Travel is very important for perspective.  It’s kinda like interning, just picking up little things you want to apply to your voice and vision from everywhere you go.  LA is home currently for the manufacturing out here.  I need to be hands-on with my work and the cities in Europe that manufacture weren’t a reasonable commitment at 19 when I moved. Now that I’m here, I can’t imagine being anywhere else!”

What obstacles with starting a brand did you not expect to encounter? How did you traverse them? How has COVID-19 affected your operations? 

“My biggest lesson about running a clothing brand was it’s only 5% about making clothes.  There is so much behind the curtain I never imagined.  Just a lot of business stuff and problem-solving!  I figured it out the way I figure everything out, trial and error/trial by fire.  COVID-19 is no different.  New problems and more problem-solving.  Survival mode more than anything, you gotta be very reactive.”

What are the stories Reese Cooper tells? Where does the inspiration come from?

“Every collection tells a story that in theory all link together.  It’s all based on travel, experiences turned into a fantasy universe the brand lives in essentially.”

With the @reesecooperinc IG archive being a point of reference for past collections, how do you look at some of your earlier designs now? Do you reference them when designing new collections?

“I think one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a designer is starting from scratch every time.  Consistency is key in finding your voice and building a brand.  Then there’s the numbers side where it makes more sense to edit a pattern than make a new one for example.”

What is your favorite piece that you have designed to date- or a piece that has been a “game-changer” in a way? 

“One of my favorite pieces will always be the Varsity Jacket from the first collection “Lone Pine” because it represents so much to me about what was to come.”

What is your design process when it comes to fabric selection, color, pattern, texture, silhouette, etc?

“Starts with a story, what we’re trying to say.  Everything comes from a central idea. The story then color then silhouette then fabric.”

What inspired you to do womenswear? Tailoring? What is next for Reese Cooper?

“Just to stay elevating and constantly challenging ourselves.  What’s next is all up in the air!  So many directions we can go.  That’s the fun part.”

I was at your FW20 Runway show in Paris - It had amazing production value and was your first runway show to date - how was that experience for you? 

“The internal brand motto is “doing a lot with a little.” At its core, that show was pretty low budget but the feeling it portrayed was exactly what we wanted.  It was an incredible experience throughout.  Working with guys like PlayLab you really learn a lot about yourself more than anything!”

What is your future vision for Reese Cooper? How do you want the brand to be thought about and remembered years down the road?

“As long as I keep creating things that resonate with people I’m not too worried about what anyone else thinks.  The goal is to be honest in the work and process and help tell that story along the way, hopefully for a long time.”

As a 22-year-old with no formal fashion education, what advice would you give to young creatives looking to follow in similar footsteps?

“You can’t do it all.  But it’s a major help to have a basic understanding of as much as you can.  Focus on the business aspect and then add value to yourself by learning tools like Photoshop and Illustrator.  The less reliant on people you can be, the easier it becomes to trust the right people.”