Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 10-13-17

Local
Designing And Selling One Of A Kind Pieces Is The Signature Of Elizabeth Carson Racker
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
You can’t find Elizabeth Carson Racker’s label at high-end department stores like Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue – not yet anyway.
Racker, a Tampa native, is certain she’ll get there, though.
“That would be ideal,” she said.
In the meantime, you can catch Racker showing off her one-of-a-kind pieces at fashion shows around the Bay like last week’s Tampa Bay Fashion Week Design & Brands Run- way Show, her fifth appear- ance at the annual event.
Or, you can visit Racker in her boutique on Florida Av- enue where her creations adorn mannequins lined against a wall.
Making beautiful gar- ments is something that Racker said she was born to do.
“My mom says I was al- ways in her clothes,” she said. “At 12, I went to an Ebony Fashion Fair show and it just blew up from there.”
After studying and playing basketball at Hillsborough Community College for two years, the Gaither High School alumna was unsure of her next move.
A college administrator suggested she use her athletic talents to pursue her passion at the Savannah College of Art and Design, commonly known as SCAD.
Racker nabbed a basket- ball scholarship and soon was studying fashion design at the prestigious college.
The experience was over- whelming initially.
Elizabeth Carson Racker (center) on the runway surrounded by models wearing her creations at Tampa Bay Fashion Week's Designer & Brand Runway Show.
A gown created by Elizabeth Carson Racker featuring her sig- nature drape.
“They just threw every- thing at you,” she said. “You got to pick what you liked.”
For Racker, that meant studying how to design evening wear. Learning the ins and outs of fabrics, cuts, and stitching was “where I fit in,” she said.
Racker honed her dress- making skills while meeting industry legends like former Vogue editor-at-large and SCAD board member Leon Talley and America’s Next Top Model judge Miss J.
For her senior year collec- tion, Racker created a line of evening gowns that featured dark, solid colors, outfitted with an African-inspired drape over one-arm.
The drape is now Racker’s signature, a flourish that she adds for dramatic ef- fect.
“It’s a form of elegance,” she said. “It’s sophisticated and regal and it makes you look important.”
After completing her stud- ies at SCAD, Racker again was trying to determine her next step. She thought she was headed to New York like many of her classmates when Ebony Fashion Fair came calling.
The iconic fashion show- case hired her as an assistant stylist and purchased her sen- ior collection to feature in its shows.
Racker crisscrossed the country with Ebony on a bus with other assistants, models, and apparel. She also visited islands in the Caribbean, in- cluding Bermuda and the Vir- gin Islands.
“It was awesome,” she said.
After two years, Racker’s
whirlwind adventure came to an end. But this time, she knew exactly what she wanted to do.
She turned her epony- mous brand into a bona fide business and began attracting customers with her unique de- signs.
Three years ago, Racker opened her own boutique where she sells ready-to-wear pieces.
But it’s her one-of-a-kind designs – wedding dresses, gala gowns, prom outfits – that make up the bulk of her business.
Racker said her teen clients especially are upfront about their expectations.
“These prom girls really know exactly what they want,” she said. “I just guide them to a complete piece. But it’s their vision.”
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