User:TaraDan95/sandbox

Early Life
Acra was born to a father who brought water purification to the people of Beirut during the war at the time, and a mother infatuated with textile and design. As a teenager, Reem Acra attended the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, where she was discovered at a party while she was wearing one of her own designs, an ornately embroidered silk organza gown Acra made from her mother’s dining room tablecloth. When Acra was a young girl, her mother used to take her to the souk and bazaars, where she would get a ton of fabric. She learned to drape at a very young age and soon her love for beading and intricate embroidery was born.

In June 1982, Lebanon had the pleasure to witness Acra’s very first show in AUB’s green oval, where two thousand people were gathered around. She went on to study design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York and Esmod in Paris. After her studies, Acra returned to New York where she launched her bridal gown company in 1995.

Career
Her career took off when she designed a wedding dress in three weeks, for a friend of hers who was getting married. The bride was a Saudi Arabian Princess, which led to a lot of media attention and the start of Reem Acra’s Bridal Gowns Company. In 1997, she launched her first bridal collection, and very soon after the release of that very collection, Acra was at the top in the bridal business. Her collection was very quickly recognized for its elegance and flawless design. Her use of luxurious silk satin, intricate beadwork as well as embroidery are what made Acra’s bridal designs some of the most appealing gowns in the market. The use of embroidery in her designs is Acra’s signature and her talent are what makes her gowns exquisite and very demanded by women all across the world, including celebrities and royalty, on their big day. Her designs particularly appeal to women looking for sophistication, style and glamour on their special day. Acra is also known for her ability to match or fabricate a gown based on the bride-to-be’s personality.

In 2003, six years after Acra’s bridal business success, she launched the Reem Acra ready-to-wear collection also known for its flawless design, intricate ornate and colorful fabrics and patterns. Reem Acra dressed many celebrities such as Madonna, Halle Berry during her appearance at the 2003 Golden Globe Awards, Taylor Swift when she won her nine Country Music Awards, Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie, Beyoncé, Melissa Joan Hart, Christina Applegate, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Eva Longoria, and many more including royal families.

Many big retailers known worldwide such as, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue in the US, as well as Saks Fifth Avenue and Harvey Nichols in the Middle East carry out her collections. Her collections are also available across the world including Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Istanbul, Egypt, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Korea. Reem Acra also opened in 2003 her flagship boutique in Manhattan, located at 14 East 60th Street off Madison Avenue in New York City. She also opened a boutique in Beirut, Lebanon in 2010 and retails the complete Reem Acra collection of evening, ready to wear and accessories on the ground floor as well as a bridal salon on the second floor.