Brand on the move
Ralph & Russo, a British couture house that recently held a special event in Beijing, has major expansion plans in Asia. Sun Yuanqing reports.
It is not easy to gain a foothold in the world of haute couture, but Ralph & Russo, a British couture house, has managed to do so in merely a decade. The rising couture house recently held a special event in Beijing in collaboration with fashion boutique Lane Crawford.
The clothes on show were a mixture. Some were from its new collection shown at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week in January, while others were older pieces, showcasing different styles and elements of the brand.
With a loyal clientele in Asia, the couture house knows what its Asian clients want.
“They are after unique pieces that are timeless, fashionforward, feminine, tailored and modern,” says Tamara Ralph, creative director of Ralph & Russo.
“The new collection is about the modern side of the Ralph & Russo woman, the life she leads and the different phases she goes through.”
For its haute couture customers, the brand sells only one piece per region to ensure exclusivity. However, it aims to become a global lifestyle brand in the future, and is looking for a wider audience.
The ready-to-wear line will launch in September, along with leather goods and shoes.
“This is only the teaser,” says Ralph of the haute couture event.
“The uniqueness and exclusivity will be kept (with the haute couture) while the ready-to-wear will open doors to a wider audience.”
The brand is going to open about 15 ready-to-wear stores worldwide in the next two years, with a focus on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and Japan, says Michael Russo, chairman and CEO of Ralph & Russo.
“The Millennials are very important to us. We want to be able to offer a coherent collection that is workable for everybody,” Russo says.
“We still have so much we want to do, and so many products that we want to work on. We want to build an entire lifestyle across the brand. We feel like we are just getting started,” Ralph adds.
Founded 10 years ago in London by Ralph and Russo, the brand is known for its classic, feminine yet modern style. It is the first British couture brand in almost 100 years to be included in the Paris Couture Week agenda.
The brand saw a 400 percent year-on-year growth in 2013 and was valued at more than 200 million pounds ($251 million) in 2014.
Both Ralph and Russo were featured in Fortune Magazine’s “40 under 40” list in 2013 that includes Marissa Mayer and Mark Zuckerberg.
The brand has an enviable clientele that includes stars like Beyonce, Angelina Jolie, Kylie Minogue and Chinese actress Fan Bingbing.
With 1.4 million followers on its Instagram account, Russo says that social media has become an essential part of the brand.
“With social media, you can reach customers easily. All you really need to focus on is to create beautiful products that your customers can relate to. And products they want to buy spontaneously. You also have to have distribution and stores across the world much more quicker. So, it’s a bit of a blessing and a curse.”