about Lucy Sykes

Lucy Sykes Rellie, Creative Director of Lucy Sykes New York, was born in London, England. She was raised in Kent, the “Garden of England”, in a big family, largely made up of stylish women. Her mother, Valerie Goad, designed bespoke smocking dresses, and inspired Lucy to follow her into a career in fashion. In London, Lucy worked at Harper’s & Queen and Vogue and then, on arrival in New York, joined the fashion department of Harper’s Bazaar. Later, she spent time at Town & Country and Allure. In 1999, Lucy joined the staff of Marie Claire as Senior Fashion Editor and was eventually promoted to Fashion Director. She also regularly appeared as a commentator on CNN, CNBC, Full Frontal Fashion and The Today Show.

In 2002, Lucy married British financier Euan Rellie, the co-founder and Partner of Business Development Asia LLC (BDA). They settled together in Manhattan’s West Village and soon welcomed a son, Heathcliff, to the family. The birth of Heathcliff left Lucy, craving understated, elegant baby clothes with a grown-up sensibility. Having long dreamed of designing her own collection, she used this as inspiration.

Lucy’s motivation and her fashion background led to the launch of Lucy Sykes New York in Spring 2005. The children’s line, which tries to demonstrate European sensibility with an American twist, became a press favorite and a “must-have” for the babies of Lucy’s friends, a smattering of celebrity clients and her fellow fashion editors. Distribution grew until it was available in 70 stores internationally, including Saks, Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom, Scoop and Yoya in the US, and Harrods and Selfridges in London.

Partnerships are key to the Lucy Sykes New York brand. In 2007, Lucy Sykes for Best & Co., an exclusive line of children’s clothing was sold at Bergdorf Goodman in New York. Lucy Sykes for stride rite, a children’s shoe collection, also debuted in 2007 in stride rite stores and specialty boutiques nationwide. At the same time, Lucy Sykes for Nursery Works, a bedding collection launched. Lucy was named a Contributing Editor for Cookie Magazine.

Lucy’s designs have been called “playground chic”, and commentators have praised her “elegant, international flair”. Her Fall 2008 collection was inspired by “Art Nouveau, the Irish countryside, and the groovy Chelsea girl”. She continues to draw on what’s happening in the wider fashion markets to create her line each season.

Lucy works to balance the life of an entrepreneur with family time, which serves as her main ongoing source of inspiration. The Rellies welcomed their second son Titus in 2007. Lucy draws on her energetic boys, her husband, and the daily excitement of New York life in developing ideas for each season’s collections. Lucy, Euan and their sons split their time between an apartment in New York City, and their beach cottage Bridgehampton. They travel regularly to visit family in the UK, Ireland, Europe, and California.