Designer Rachel Scott Is Redefining Luxury

Rachel Scott Credit - Deirdre Lewis—Diotima

Rachel Scott wants to change our understanding of luxury. “ Luxury is actually the knowledge of how to make something incredibly, with knowledge that is centuries old,” she says. “That exists in Europe, but not exclusively.” Scott, who founded the fashion brand Diotima in 2021 and has a studio in New York City’s Chinatown, draws her inspiration from Jamaica, where she grew up. “Obviously Jamaica and the Caribbean are known for some incredible things like music,” she says, “but if I can help add to what is understood as valuable from the Caribbean, then that is my ultimate goal.”

Her latest collection recalls the women she would see dressed in white performing syncretic religious rituals and dances by the riverside. And each piece–ranging from her signature hand-crocheted dresses to tailoring made with heritage tweeds, river-emulating intarsias, and crystal mesh–speaks to the value she places in Caribbean artistry. But it’s not just the aesthetics that matter to Scott–it’s also the economics. By working directly with artisanal communities in Jamaica, Scott hopes to address systemic inequities in the global fashion industry. It’s important to her, she says, that people are not extracted from, but engaged with.

Scott, 41, is cognizant of the fact that the fashion industry, like most, does not offer a level playing field. “Being a black entrepreneur—especially if you're an immigrant, especially if you're a woman— you're up against so many more challenges, most of them related to capital and access to capital,” she says. “If you're operating in luxury, you're competing with the richest people in the world. Not that it's about competition, but you're understood as—and criticized—at that same level.” But her efforts have not gone unnoticed: in late 2024, she became the first Black woman designer to be named American Womenswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Soon after, she became the first-ever recipient of the Inaugural Empowered Vision Award, established to support emerging Black designers. She’s also a finalist in the 2025 International Woolmark Prize, which will announce the winner in the spring. “It's always great to be in these global competitions,” says Scott, who will present her fall collection on Feb. 10. “I'm always trying to do everything better, more interesting, more compelling, and questioning more.”

Even as she gains recognition from fashion’s upper echelon, she continues to take pride in her role as a disrupter. “I'm always trying to just show up in places where we're not usually there or not expected to be there,” Scott says. “I've only been able to do this because of the support of the Black community. If I can be as strong of a community member as they have been for me, then I think that would be good.”

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