A couple of weeks ago now I was lucky enough to get tickets for a Rixo evening event which was hosted by the lovely Hannah Almassi, editor at Who What Wear. Hannah (looking fab in the tulip Rixo print) interviewed the two gorgeous co-founders Orlagh and Henrietta, and got deep and personal about the brand and how it all started. I wanted to share this with you as I found it so inspiring, positive and most of all real.

I must have been quick off the mark (or on insta way too much) emailing for tickets because they went in a flash and the evening did not disappoint.
I went with my good friend Helen, another printed dress fan, and we were warmly welcomed with a glass of Rosé in a Rixo personalised cup. Already, they had won us over.

There was a sea of print in the audience..

Ladies dressed head to toe in Rixo and others donning a bright bold print (us two in tow of course). Henrietta spoke about how they want to build a community and having  real people wearing the clothes is the most important and amazing part.

The evening was so relaxed and warm, and best friends Orlagh and Henrietta were such ‘normal’ lovely girls. The two still live with each other and you got a real sense that they work so well together, and this is obvious in their success.
The evening was full of great people and inspiring words. We heard how they started, what's next, growing Rixo, and of course all about their prints.

How It All Started

The lovelies Orlagh and Henrietta met whist studying a fashion management course at London Collage of Fashion. Both having a love — and I mean the biggest love for vintage, they became friends instantly. They would spend weekends together trawling vintage fairs and second hand shops looking for unique pieces no one else would have. This love for vintage came from memories at vintage fairs with their mums and nans while other teenagers would be in the usual high street stores.
People would ask them where their outfits were from, “It was always from a charity or vintage shop and styled with a belt” This gave them the idea to recreate these vintage styles in contemporary prints.

They saw a lack of product that wasn’t on ‘trend’ and high end magazines only showcasing expensive items. This gave them the idea to make something more affordable while not compromising the high end quality in beautiful silks.

They always dreamed they would have a brand called Rixo one day (taken from both their names) but coming up with the usp was the tricky part. Of course they were worried about starting a fashion brand in such a saturated market .”Would anyone like our designs?, would anyone buy our dresses?”. But having that clear print and vintage look has been whats made them unique and a great success.

They knocked on so many door's with samples in hand and started stocking  in small boutiques. This then turned into Net a porter taking on stock and it exploded from there.

The Print's

So lets get onto the good stuff… How the design process works and the inspiration behind their beautiful prints. 

The two co-founders each have different job roles within Rixo. Orlagh is in charge of design and production and Henrietta is in charge of all the marketing side and social media. 

Orlagh studied fine art before her fashion management course which definitely shows across all of their prints. Every design is hand drawn and painted so you get that free hand drawn feel.

Having a huge repeat size...

And what I found amazing is that Orlagh likes to design the prints within a huge repeat size. So on each dress you can not see the repeat at all. 

This is something I personally like doing when I design a print. I hate seeing those lines or shapes if the repeat print tile is too small.  Even if it's a spot or leopard print, lets get bigger print repeats! I think it makes the design have a more expensive look. Its more thought about and you know its taken longer to do. Rixo's prints definitely stand out because of this and their unique style . You always know its a Rixo print straight away.

Orlagh and Henrietta spoke about how they always want to have a print for everyone. For the bolder print wearer to the lady just getting into wearing prints. They always offer a spot design or an animal print in every collection to cover all of their customers.

Who is the Rixo Woman?

Rixo is for everyone

Orlagh and Henrietta wanted to launch a brand that would make everyone feel fabulous in one of their dresses. This is a really important factor, that all ages, shapes and size’s could wear a Rixo dress.

When asked who their target woman is, they would not define their customer with an age. This has become a huge part of what Rixo is all about and you will often see their catwalk shows and photoshoots with different aged models including Mother's and Daughter's both wearing Rixo.

They have built a following using the hashtag #HumansofRixo with everyday people showing how they wear the brand. On the Rixo website you will see a mix of model shots and ‘real’(Humans if Rixo) shots. With outfits being worn on holiday or out and about by real life Rixo wearers. 

Collaborations

As with building a community of Rixo customers they also want the right people to do more collaborations with. Having the right person who would wear's the brand is really important.

Collaborations have included Laura Jackson, Sabino Socol and now Artist Astrid Wislon. You can see each have been carefully selected as they live and breathe their collections. This is something Rixo want to continue to grow and to find the right people to work with.

Rixo X Astrid Wilson  https://astridwilson.com

Rixo X Sabina Socol https://www.rixo.co.uk/lookbook/sabina-socol/

Whats Next?

The ever growing brand have lots of exciting plans for the future.

A new day wear cotton silk collection

A new collection thats more affordable on lighter fabrics in softer prettier prints.

They are keeping the number of stock really low at 50 pieces per shape. To make it more exclusive and once its gone its gone. In turn making it much more sustainable by not wasting any fabric or stock left over.

A ‘Rixo wild card’ every month

This will be a small quantity of one item which isn't part of the collection. And when it sells out it sells out. Im keeping my eyes peeled.

More accessories

As you may have seen Rixo’s latest Spring Summer collection launched with accessories alongside their signature printed dresses. This is something they want to grow. Including those incredible gold starfish earrings I must have!

Cracking the U.S

The next stop for Rixo is America. With lots of meetings lined up and exciting opportunities out there. Their dream is to be stocked in L.A and New York.

More collaborations

Finding the right people, the right 'Humans of Rixo' to work and design with. They don’t believe in using any influencers to get their brand across, they want to work with the right people and build a community.

With thanks and credit to Rixo.co.uk for images.