Meet Patricia Assui Reed - Sag Harbor’s Matriark With A Mission
After nearly 20 years in the fashion industry and living in New York City with her husband and two children, Patricia Assui Reed and her family were craving a change and relocated to the beautiful Sag Harbor, NY. A year later she opened the wildly successful Matriark store in Sag Harbor town with an important mission, advancing women’s equality. “Women make up half of the population, spend three times more on clothing than men, yet only 40% of womenswear fashion brands are designed by women and only 14% of the 50 major fashion brands are run by women, according to the 2019 Business of Fashion survey. This lack of representation in the highest ranks in the industry felt like a big betrayal.”
So, Patricia decided to be the change she wished to see in the world and within the fashion industry. Her store and online marketplace feature 100% women-owned brands and they donate 2.5% of their net sales to i-tri and 2.5% to Ms. Foundation for Women. “I am a very practical person, so acting from the simple premise that money is power, I thought one of the most effective ways to tackle gender inequality would be to funnel as much money as possible in the hands of women. So, I decided to start Matriark.”
Recreational Habits is proud to announce that we are now a brand sold at Matriark and stand firmly behind their mission of advancing women’s equality through commerce, community and philanthropy. We are thrilled to be amongst such incredible labels and in a store owned by a fabulous wife, mother, and entrepreneur, Patricia Assui Reed.
Read our interview below with Patricia and be sure to visit Matriark next time you are in the Hamptons!
How has the reopening of Matriark been for you during the Pandemic?
We are in the Hamptons, where a lot of people moved to during the quarantine, so we were less affected than others, but it’s been a challenging year for sure. But we are grateful we’ve been able to stay open and safe since the reopening.
Historically, we have seen that women like to shop for occasions. With these seasonal events somewhat gone, what are you clients shopping for?
Many of our clients are and were shopping for future events such as weddings, graduations, small gatherings with family. Of course they were also looking for loungewear and clothes that were good for Zoom meetings and WFH, and home décor objects.
What are your current favorite styles from the store?
I can’t pick a favorite – I’s like picking your kids! I personally select every item that is in the store, so I can honestly say that I love everything we have.
What are the future plans and goals for Matriark and the Matriark Club?
We put the Matriark Club’s in-person events on hold for obvious reasons, but we hope to restart during the Fall. I am not making long term plans for in person events yet, even with the vaccine. I am focusing on our summer and making sure we have an incredible season, and that we have more fun on the process. Last year was very strifeful, we had to learn how to operate in difficult circumstances, and I am looking forward to a more light-hearted and safe summer ahead.
The Hamptons has been known to be a very elite WASP community - as a woman of color, what are some of the challenges or uncomfortable moments you've faced?
I’ve been vacationing in the Hamptons for some time now, and I moved to Sag Harbor in 2018. While the Hamptons is for sure predominantly white, Sag Harbor is a very welcoming town, and we’ve felt a great sense of community here since day one. Our customers have been incredibly respectful and supportive, and everyone I met here has been very kind and generous with their time. That said, I’ve had some weird interactions with customers that assume I am not the owner when they speak to me, and a while ago I was in line to get ice cream with my kids and a parent behind me assumed I was their nanny. But these events are very rare, and overall, my experience here has been incredibly positive.
Do you feel like the community is changing?
We had a big migration from NYC to the Hamptons last year, so there are a lot more people now. I moved from NYC in 2018, so I don’t have a problem with this and understand why they would move here, it’s a special place for so many reasons.
At RH, our mission is to recreate the American Spirit. Personally, for you, when you hear the words "American spirit" what comes to mind?
I was born in Brazil, and we were very heavily influenced the US. I decided to move to the US because I always loved and admired American’s perseverance, resilience, grit and practical can-do attitude. Those are words that come to mind when I think of American spirit.
Do you have any Recreational Habits? If so, what do you love about them or how do you play them?
I think entertaining is my favorite recreational habit. We just received the collection, and I am going to get the Cotton Ombre Maxi Dress in Blue. Summer is right around the corner, and I think I will live in this dress to entertain our friends at home and grab a bite to eat in the many amazing restaurants in the Hamptons. I love how you can dress it up or down, and still be super comfortable.
