For years, Tracy Christian was the unseen force behind Hollywood’s brightest stars, navigating the glittering chaos of red carpets and high-stakes negotiations. But beneath the champagne flutes and designer contracts simmered a childhood dream—one stitched together with silk, rebellion, and the quiet rage of a plus-size woman told her body didn’t belong in luxury.
Christian’s origin story reads like a Bob Mackie sketch—equal parts disco and defiance. Her mother, a Jersey girl with Studio 54 dreams, became her first mannequin. "I’d watch her transform like a butterfly leaving a polyester cocoon," she recalls. Barbie dolls became her design lab; tube socks turned into couture under her grandmother’s needle. Yet San Francisco’s punk scene taught her the most valuable lesson: "Fashion isn’t about fitting in—it’s about weaponizing your uniqueness."
As a Black plus-size woman in talent representation, Christian wielded her "otherness" as camouflage. "They saw a smiling face—not the shark," she grins. Her client roster (Toni Braxton, Busta Rhymes) became a masterclass in rewriting narratives. But the industry’s velvet ropes chafed. "I’d watch my A-list clients drown in designer options while plus-size women got table scraps. That disrespect lit a fire."
When COVID-19 froze Hollywood, Christian finally listened to the divine nudge she’d ignored for decades. Sante Grace wasn’t born—it erupted. "This wasn’t about ‘inclusivity,’" she insists. "This was a coup." Her collections scream rebellion: cashmere sweaters that defy "cover up" culture, silk dresses that slink rather than hide. Every stitch whispers what she learned from the streets of Jersey: "They’ll tell you you’re too much—prove them right."
Christian’s empire now expands beyond fashion into comics featuring plus-size superheroines. "We’re not begging for seats at their table," she says, adjusting a diamond cuff. "We’re building cathedrals." Her advice to women echoes like a runway finale: "Stop counting calories and start counting revolutions. Your body isn’t a compromise—it’s the blueprint."
