There are a crop of women such as Jasmine De Milo and Margherita Missoni to the Marchesa duo who are making a sophisticated mark in the fashion industry. Those mentioned have had their paths cushioned either by a rich daddy, a mogul boyfriend, or have been born into an existing fashion dynasty, however, in all three cases each lady has the talent to match.

Another female whose name must be added to the list and whose story stands out from the rest is that of womenswear designer Rachel Roy. Often pictured – trying quite hard to give off the impression of perfect relationship status – with her beau hip-hop mogul Damon Dash – no one can argue that her rise to success hasn’t been fuelled by hard work and a whole lot of determination. Starting out her career in fashion as a t-shirt folder at a retail store, Roy took on an internship at Rocawear, progressing through the ranks, to Creative Director for their womenswear line.

However partly due to the fact that her design approach clashed with the urban chic of Rocawear, Roy grabbed the bull by its stylish horns and developed her own line, making her debut this year at NY Fashion Week in September. Roy, who exudes grace and style, has even managed to get the blessings of fashions most powerful tag team, Anna Wintour and Andre Leon Talley.

Her spring/summer 07 collection was hardly the work of a trendsetter, but more that of a communicator, and she spoke perfectly to both the working lady and the lady who lunches. Keeping it simple and working solely on shape and detail, Rachel Roy’s work is nothing short of class. With fashion week not too far away, it’ll be exciting to see what Roy has in store for the “lady next season.

(Images:Coutorture)