Dressed to empower
Eight years after launching Beulah London, Natasha Rufus Isaacs proves it takes more than aristocratic lineage and friends in high places to build a successful fashion label, learns
in 2011, just a year after its launch, British luxury womenswear label Beulah found itself in the international news. Pictures of Catherine Middleton in one of its bespoke designs, a longsleeved dress in powder blue she wore during a trip in Malaysia, made the rounds. The Duchess of Cambridge, arguably one of the most photographed women in recent years, was accompanying her husband, Prince William, on the Diamond Jubilee tour of Asia and the South Pacific.
“It was really exciting to see the Duchess in one of our dresses, especially at such an early stage of the company,” says the label’s co-founder Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs. “People really admire her style, and it was such an honour to have dressed her.”
In Singapore to showcase the label’s latest Autumn/ Winter collection at the National Dressage Championships and British Expo in May, Rufus Isaacs admits having the Duchess of Cambridge as an “unofficial ambassador” was a great boost for the then-fledgling fashion label.
Almost immediately, Beulah experienced the full magnitude of the “Kate Middleton Effect”, a fashion phenomenon where almost any garment she appeared in sold out in days, if not hours. “We still get people ordering custom designs of the dress she wore,” she says with a laugh.
It is easy to dismiss the label’s achievement. After all, Rufus Isaacs, the daughter of Simon, the 4th Marquess of Reading, and whose greatgreat-grandfather was once a Viceroy of India, is part of the British aristocracy. A close friend of William and Kate, she was also among the invited guests at the highly televised royal wedding.
While royal connections helped, Rufus Isaacs stresses it took a lot of hard work to sustain and build the company into what it is today. “We started small and organically from the basement of Lavinia’s ( Brennan, co-founder of Beulah) family home. Of course, we reached out to our friends and network, and that helped. But you have to be authentic and that’s what mattered more along the way.”
Indeed, the brand’s authenticity lies in its ethical slant on social causes. Known for romantic, feminine designs in bold and vibrant prints, Beulah — a Biblical word that means “emergence into light and the land of peace” — was borne out of the desire to help women who were victims of sex trafficking.
It was inspired by a volunteer expedition to India in 2010, where Rufus Isaacs and Brennan helped out at a charity that sought to transform the lives of vulnerable women who had been trafficked into the sex trade. The duo spent two months in a slum in Delhi teaching sewing skills to these women.
“We witnessed the brutality of human trafficking and how badly it affected these women who were, thankfully, rescued. As we interacted with them we realised the power of employment in transforming their lives,” she recalls. “We saw a cause and we wanted to try and find a solution. The social impact is very much at the heart of the brand — that’s why we started Beulah.”
As these women do not possess the skill set needed for production of clothes, the label engages them to do silk screen printing for its designs. A proportion of Beulah’s ready-to-wear collection is handscreen printed by its charity in Kolkata, India.
“We also work with another charity that makes our accessories and we are working on two other projects to help vulnerable women through embroidery and weaving techniques,” she says. “It is like reviving artisanal workmanship and techniques, so we were able to use the skills these women already have”.
Beulah, together with other global social enterprises working with charities in India, has provided employment for more than 200 women who were victims of sex trafficking. The label also donates 10 percent of profits from sales to the Beulah Trust, which raises funds for the building of infrastructures as well as rehabilitation and healthcare for victims of human trafficking. Over the past four years, Beulah has donated a sum equivalent to a oneyear grant to a project in Albania, which seeks to provide sustainable reintegration assistance to victims of trafficking.
For its humanitarian efforts, the company was commended at the Un-sponsored Business Leader’s Award to Fight Human Trafficking in 2013.
“I think it is important to do good while looking good, and women today are more conscious of what they’re buying into,” she says.
Indeed, as the sustainability movement garners strength in the fashion industry, the label
has gained much interest and support from fashion lovers, as well as A-listers. Apart from the Duchess, Beulah also dresses other members of the British royal family, including Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. The label also counts models Kate Moss and Rosie Huntington-whiteley, as well as actresses Jessica Alba, Sienna Miller and Kate Bosworth as loyal fans and customers.
But what Rufus Isaacs really loves is seeing women from all walks of life wearing a Beulah design. “I still get excited when I spot one of our dresses on the streets. It’s a great indication of our reach and how much we’ve grown”.
Then, with a slight smile, she adds: “But, defi nitely, Meghan [ Markle]. I think that will be brilliant”.
“I think it is important to do good while looking good, and women today are more conscious of what they’re buying into”