Rose Marie Reid, born Rose Marie Yancey (September 12, 1906, in Cardston, Alberta, Canada – December 16, 1978, in Provo, Utah, United States), was a successful Canadian-born American swimsuit designer from the 1940s–60s.
Reid moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, following her divorce. Her swimsuits dominated the American market and were popular in western Europe, South America, and Australia. She was also the first designer to introduce dress sizes in swimwear, designing swimwear for multiple sizes and types of bodies, rather than just producing one standard size. Her company patented a machine for a fagotting stitch that became a hallmark of her designs.
Awards and success
In 1958, Reid was awarded the Sporting Look of the Year Award by Sports Illustrated and in 1955, she was named one of the Ten Women of the Year by the Los Angeles Times. She was also nominated for Designer of the Year in 1956 by Sports Illustrated, although she didn't win. Her company was extremely successful in the 1950s. The 1951 gross of Rose Marie Reid, Inc. of $3.5 million increased nearly fivefold to $18.1 million by 1960. Combined, her Canadian and U.S. factories increased production between 1952 and 1959 from 1,000 to 10,000 suits per day. With Richards' encouragement, Reid authored a lesson plan for explaining Mormonism to Jewish investigators. Reid also helped with many fundraising efforts for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including fundraising for the construction of church buildings and the Los Angeles California Temple in 1954. She designed the "Starlight" swimsuit and had local Relief Society members sew sequins onto the suits. This suit, also known as the "Relief Society Suit", sold for $50. In 1959, Rose Marie was asked by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to redesign LDS temple garments.