Reem Acra

Reem Acra (Arabic: ريم عكرا) is a fashion designer born in Beirut, Lebanon, known for her eponymous bridal gown line and her ready-to-wear collection.

Her mother, Nadia, worked in the family medicine department, and her father, Aftim, was a prominent and distinguished academic, professor, public health expert, and an amber collector.

[7] After graduating from FIT, Acra studied at the École Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode design school in Paris.

[6] Soon after, she bought $20,000 in fabric with her American Express card, pitched designs to Saks Fifth Avenue and Kleinfeld, and received an order for thirty dresses.

[11] The following celebrities have worn Acra's gowns: Christina Applegate,[8] Halle Berry,[12] Beyoncé,[10] Jill Biden,[5] Julie Bowen,[13] Jane Fonda,[7] Selena Gomez,[10] Anna Gunn,[14] Katherine Heigl,[4] Angelina Jolie,[12] Eva Longoria,[8] Jennifer Lopez,[12] Madonna,[1] Olivia Munn,[15] Nicole Richie,[5] Kristen Stewart,[4] Tika Sumpter,[16] Taylor Swift,[5] Olivia Wilde,[1] Reese Witherspoon,[17] Robin Wright,[18] Catherine Zeta-Jones,[17] Melania Trump,[19]Usha Vance, Allison Janney The following celebrities have worn Acra's bridal gowns during their weddings; LeAnn Rimes,[20] Jenna Dewan,[21] and Marcia Cross.

In November 2010, she opened a store in Beirut, which sells Acra's evening wear and ready-to-wear collections, in addition to accessories and a bridal salon.

A table was fashioned from blocks of resin that contain delicate pieces of sequin-embroidered lace that Acra used in her first bridal designs, an idea inspired by her father’s collection of amber.

[32] In addition to her New York City loft, Acra bought and renovated a 2,400-square-foot apartment in the husk of a bombed-out, 19th-century building in Saifi Village near downtown Beirut.

Reem Acra's designs on the runway.
Madonna (right) wearing Reem Acra at the 69th Golden Globe Awards in 2012.
A photograph through the front window of Reem Acra's Beirut boutique.