WE@Yale Women Innovators Series: Rebecca Minkoff
The WE@Yale Women Innovators speaker series is designed to foster community discussion, idea sharing, and best practices in support of Yale women and non-binary femme entrepreneurs and innovators. Community members of all genders are welcome to attend these talks, which are free and open to the public.
Rebecca Minkoff is an industry leader in accessible luxury handbags, accessories, footwear and apparel, Rebecca Minkoff’s modern bohemian designs are inspired by strong, confident and powerful women who are drawn towards a west-meets-east sensibility. After developing an affinity for design while in the costume department in high school, Rebecca Minkoff moved to New York City at age 18 to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer.
In 2001, Rebecca designed a version of the “I Love New York” t-shirt as part of a five-piece capsule collection, which appeared on The Tonight Show and became an overnight sensation.
In 2005, Rebecca designed her first handbag, which she dubbed the “Morning After Bag,” a.k.a. the “M.A.B.” This iconic bag ignited Rebecca’s career as a handbag designer and inspired her edgy, feminine creations in the years to come. Rebecca’s success was further enhanced by the support of her brother, the company’s CEO and co-founder, Uri Minkoff, who helped usher in and pioneer the company’s industry-leading innovations with technology and fashion.
After four years of designing statement-making handbags and accessories with her trademark leathers, studs and hardware, Rebecca returned to her roots of apparel design and introduced her first ready-to-wear collection in 2009.
Today, Rebecca Minkoff is a global brand with a wide range of apparel, handbags, footwear, jewelry and accessories products. In the spring of 2017, Rebecca Minkoff Watches was launched, reimagining the category through their decidedly downtown, rock-and-roll aesthetic.
The brand has 3 national retail stores, eight international locations, and is distributed in over 900 stores worldwide. In 2015, Rebecca Minkoff stores unveiled the first ever “Magic Mirror” technology, where customers could interact with mirrors installed in the dressing room walls of her store and tap to pick out additional sizes, colors and styles of clothing.
In 2011, Rebecca won industry recognition when she was awarded the Breakthrough Designer Award from the Accessories Council. She is an active member of the CFDA, and supports multiple philanthropies including Baby2Baby organization.
In August of 2017, she was announced as a member of the first-ever New York State Council on Women and Girls, in the company of other female industry leaders including Refinery29 founder Christene Barberich, SoulCycle CEO Melanie Whelan and Deloitte CEO Cathy Engelbert. Rebecca is dedicated to bringing women together to enact positive change.
In September of 2018, she established the Female Founder Collective, a network of businesses led by women who invest in women’s financial power across a socio-economic spectrum by enabling and empowering female-owned businesses.
In 2020, Rebecca will launch a diffusion line of children’s clothing called ‘little minkoff”, marking a foray into designing a truly sustainable and environmentally friendly collection. She will also launch a new name sake fragrance to be sold at retailers nationwide. Rebecca is married to director Gavin Bellour, and they reside in Brooklyn with their three children.