- AUB Business Graduate, Beirut, Lebanon.
- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.
- ESMOD, Paris, France.
- 1995: Launching of the Reem Acra Bridal Collection.
- 2008: Launching of the Reem Acra Ready-to-Wear Collection.

- Fall 2009: Long skinny black dresses .Very sober style. No decoration except for the heavy rich necklace or for the rich embroidery which stands for the decoration of the dress. All dresses are long, either flowing or close to the silhouette. Brighter versions include the same idea but still in dark colors, using silky , sparkling looking materials .Colors vary between violet, deep electric blue, brown, beige, chocolate (yummy!) , silver, pink and even light blue.

- Spring 2010: Fresh very short dresses. Silky materials. And White is the Star! Then comes beige, olive green, and silver.

With an insatiable desire for luxurious fabrics, deep texture, rich color and anything made by hand, Reem Acra's exquisite gowns exude her own innate sense of style and love of fashion. The designer's gowns are a direct reflection of her design philosophy that poetically combines her appreciation for the traditional and classic with the modern fashion needs of today's stylish woman. Reem Acra's gowns particularly appeal to women of individual style who are looking for glamour and sophistication on the most important day of their life. Technical acumen, tremendous creativity, and attention to detail are the overriding principals that Reem Acra combines when approaching her design.

Reem Acra’s success story, if one may say, sounds like the fairy tale of the Barbie to whom she designed a Wedding dress, at the demand of the Mattel Company. R. Acra is well known worldwide, for her beautiful wedding dresses. But before she turned into a Fashion Designer, Acra first studied Business at AUB. Yet it is true that, already as a little girl, she used to visit with excitement the fashion fabrics along with her mother. She already enjoyed discovering and appreciating the different kinds of fabrics, and especially hand-embroidered work, which would later become her symbol in the fashion business, along with her sense for details. But maybe this entire subject was still a hobby, back then.

But how did Reem switch from Business to Fashion?

It happened during a party which was held at the AUB University, when her self-made dress left a fashion editor in awe. It was an ornate gown decorated with refinely hand-made quality embroidery, which she had taken from no other place than…her mother’s dining room table cloth. The female fashion editor immediately offered Reem the chance to show her work in a fashion show which happened only ten days after this specific party was held.

Furthermore, weeks later, Reem was offered an even bigger chance and was off to study in New York, at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and later on, in Paris, at ESMOD.

Continuing in this new path, Reem travelled a lot and took a precious inspiration from every country she visited. Afterwards, she also worked as an Interior Designer for a while, and then she came back to fashion and worked on her style, in Hong Kong and New York too.

She succeeded well, and managed to achieve worldwide recognition for her atelier, in less than ten years of work. A stroke of luck also came from a high society friend of hers, who chose to wear one of her bridal gowns at her social wedding. Soon after this, Reem launched her first collection, Reem Acra Bridal, which imposed a higher level of craftsmanship in bridal dressing. Acra has a way of getting equally inspired by both European and American styles, with a 1920’ glamour final touch.

As a leading name in today’s luxury fashion industry, Reem Acra delights in making women look good and feel great through her unique sense of style. Renowned for her ability to bring a feeling of royalty to a modern aesthetic, Reem’s looks are marked by elegant pieces, featured in the most luxurious fabrics and embellishments, with an impeccable attention to detail. After launching her bridal line in 1997, which quickly became recognized for its glamorous designs, Acra expanded her brand to include evening gowns, and introduced a Ready-to-Wear collection in the Spring of 2008. Distinctly blending Reem’s culturally diverse design inspirations with classic tailoring, each line evokes an ethereal quality that appeals to a discerning, worldwide clientele that includes celebrities, royalty, and women drawn to a refined sense of global luxury.

Influenced by her mother’s impeccable style and love of fashion, Reem was always fascinated by design. As a little girl, she accompanied her mother to fabric stores to learn about the finest fabrics, textures and design details such as hand-embroidery that would later become signature elements of her iconic style. As Reem grew up, her passion for design continued to evolve and she began designing dresses for herself, which were brought to life by her personal couturier.

Following her studies, Reem traveled the world, drawing inspiration from the diverse countries she visited. After working as an interior designer for a few years, Reem continued to develop her craft in Hong Kong and New York where she returned to her fashion roots. In less than 10 years her atelier gained international recognition, sparked by a high society friend wearing Reem’s first bridal design, a simple yet embellished creation, to her society wedding. Soon after, Reem launched her first collection, Reem Acra Bridal, which elevated classic bridal designs through the use of the finest silks and intricate beading and embroidery.

As an avid traveler and scholar of culture, Acra’s designs reflect her innate fashion sense, while evoking distinct elements of European and American style for a look of global glamour. Introduced in 2003, her signature evening collection features beautifully constructed gowns that range in style from simple and elegant to ornate and embellished. Most recently Acra has translated her aesthetic into a distinctly modern collection of Ready-to-Wear pieces that are marked by rich color, lush fabrics, flawless construction and playful patterns.

The press is unanimous about her well-deserved success, from the “New York Daily News”, showing her caftan collection on his front page, up to her last fashion show concerning her spring 2009 collection, which took place in Bryant Park, as shown in the “New York Post”.

Furthermore, this is without forgetting the celebrities wearing her bridal creations, as shown in “People”, when bringing the issue of gay marriage, concerning actresses, like Ellen DeGeneres tying the knot with Portia De Rossi.

“Skin Magazine” displayed her colorful bridal gowns, while the “US Weekly” showed the very classical and sweet gown of Ivana Bozilòvìc marrying Andrew Firestone.

“WWD” displays the entire fashion season, for instance, including Reem Acra along with Christian Lacroix, Galliano, and Barbara Tfank. Many other magazines and newspapers follow in this beautiful list, but lets’ come back to this great success story.

Acra settled herself as a specialist for Bridal fashion, and launched her Bridal line in 1995. Lately, she also started expanding her collection into Ready-To-Wear style, with a taste of the 1920’s, along with a touch of modernism.

Her success allowed her to sell in the USA, Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, and Duba?.
Celebrities like actresses Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry, as long as Royalty personalities are now among her fans. Her creations are recognized from the luxurious fabrics and rich colors which are used in them, and, especially, for the refined hand made delicate details.

Sources: reemacra.com, wikipedia.org, marthastewartweddings.com, style.com, fashiondesigners.instyle.com

Book sources:
Freiha, Asma, &Ghanem, Viviane,” Lebanese Imprints”, Volume 1, Dar Assayad, Hazmieh, Lebanon, 2005.
“Femme Magazine”, Sept 2007