"I officially have the worst car in the family."
Billy Reid laughs self-effacingly at the notion. The celebrated fashion designer -- who counts a GQ Best New Menswear Designer title among his accolades -- has devotedly driven his 1998 Jeep Wrangler since purchasing it in Dallas 16 years ago. Along the way, it sloshed through creeks on camping trips, chauffeured magazine editors and became Reid's most prized possession.
And though Reid has other cars in the family, his Jeep Wrangler is his favorite.
GuideLive spoke with the designer and Art Institute of Dallas alumnus about where his Jeep has taken him and the impact it has had on his life.
It has been around during monumental moments in his life -- and some significant moments in American history.
"It's been a constant through a lot of major things in my life: Losing the business after 9/11 and moving to Alabama, and then restarting the business and going through everything that happened in 2008 with the economy ... It has been on camping trips and beach trips. It's been tailgating. It's carried furniture [and] inventory to our stores. It has picked up magazine editors at airports.
"It's been my heart," Reid says of his 1998 Jeep. "Through everything I've done, it's been there."
It caught him a trophy (of sorts) during a camping trip.
"I remember a camping trip with all of my friends and they all had ATVs and four-wheelers. I never bought a four-wheeler because I always saw the Jeep as [being able] to go almost anywhere. So they got in the creek and started driving their four-wheelers and I just got in my Jeep and started driving down the creek. To everyone's surprise, it unbelievably made it through [the trip] and everyone was like, 'Man, that's the toughest Jeep I've ever seen. That thing's incredible.'
"Two days later, I was loading that Jeep to drive to Houston to open the store. ... And I look at the front of the Jeep and there was something on the grill -- it was a fish that had literally infused itself to the radiator from the creek drive.
"It was kind of one of those moments where you just go, 'Yeah, that actually happened.'"
It probably looks and smells like your grandpa's old car.
"It's not the greatest-smelling car in the world. You think about a Jeep, too, it gets a lot of rain; there are times when you're caught in the rain and you can't get out of it and it's got to dry out.
"From the arm rest being worn to the bleaching on the dashboard to the hood where the paint is completely almost gone, it's very lived-in, for sure. The character that it gets -- that's sort of what makes it. If it looked pristine, I don't know if I would enjoy it as much."
When he bought it, he expected people to judge him for driving a Jeep instead of a stylish sports car.
"I didn't have a ton of money and we were living in Dallas -- [where] what kind of car you drive is how people perceive you sometimes. ... I wanted something that can easily be a convertible at times when you want it to be [and is] affordable and durable. That was why I bought it, and little did I know that it would become something that I would fall in love with."
It serves as his reminder to blaze his own trail and do what makes him happy.
"It was sort of a little bit of a turning point to say, 'I really want to do things my way; do things that are real to me and not necessarily real to everyone.' Because you're never going to please everyone, so you might as well try to make sure you're comfortable and excited about what you're doing."
And it has taught his children a valuable lesson, too.
"Not everything in life is disposable. It's good to hold on to things; it's good to take pride in things. Hopefully it teaches [my kids] that lesson.
"What you perceive as cool is sometimes more important than what other people perceive as cool."
In the end, he'll know what to do after its last drive.
"I'd probably go get another Jeep. It fits my lifestyle."
