Tracy Christian: The Woman Behind Sante Grace
For years, talent agent Tracy Christian spent her time copping contracts, preparing for premieres, and rushing through red carpets. She’d fallen in love with the gratification that leading some of the industry’s most high-profile celebrities’ careers brought her, bumping bags and sipping champagne with A-listers and the fellow elites accompanying them. However, while she enjoyed caring for her clients and basking in the bright lights that followed many of the stars she represented, Christian grew tired of scuffling to find glamorous gowns to seal deals or lug to award shows. Thus, she created her own runway wardrobe by launching a luxurious plus size clothing line, Sante Grace.
But… make no mistake; the New Jersey native’s road to ruling fat fashion wasn’t an overnight journey. Before this top-notch showbiz liaison found passion in the hustle and bustle of entertainment, she was a California transplant with a keen eye for fancy finery and stylish stitchings. The heart of Christian’s childhood was immersed in a deep love for closet-watching her mother’s diva-like attire and playing dress-up with toy figurines. Little did she know, those (seemingly) meaningless hobbies as an adolescent were only previews of the powerhouse professional she’d soon become.
After uprooting from San Francisco to Los Angeles for college, the early days of Christian’s adulthood saw her working around textile conversion and department stores. Although pretty threads may have lived at the pulse of her interest (which surely helped her time as the CEO of a modeling agency, too), Christian’s take-charge personality and entrepreneurial spirit catapulted her into the field of representation. At the urging of late filmmaker John Singleton, she took a leap of faith, and Tracy, the agent, was born.
From the outside looking in, she’s an East-Coast chick with a genuine love for people, but at the head of any corporate table, she’s a Black woman about her business… and her bag. The creative mastermind obtained a legendary list of clientele, which included the great Toni Braxton, Tisha Campbell, Busta Rhymes, and Kandi Burruss-Tucker, among other award-winning figures. She had it all, but still… not enough to put out the burning desire she had for beautiful clothes. So, in 2020, amid the global shutdown that COVID-19 ignited, Christian answered God’s call—one that she could no longer resist ignoring.
Straight from the dressing rooms to the sketch pads and sewing machines, Christian could’ve never imagined the gem that would become Sante Grace, specifically for those who looked like her. Those with the same styling dreams who could only wish would be a reality someday. A reality where fashion was limitless—far from the days of it being restrained by one’s weight or waistline. Suddenly, Christian cultivated a market ladies of bigger sizes didn’t think could be available to them in a major way.
