Fours years ago, Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McCloskey were just two Fashion Management graduates with a London College of Fashion degree and an idea.
Now, they find themselves at the helm of one of the industry’s most popular labels.
They began their careers as buyers at ASOS, before acknowledging the frankly AGONISING pain when someone answers your “Omg, I love ur dress where d’ya get it?” question with a smug, haughty “vintage, darling”, and decided to set up their own label of exclusive-looking, vintage-inspired pieces at non-exclusive, affordable prices. Genius, no?
Despite being relative babies in an often overwhelming industry with very few contacts and little experience, the duo took the plunge and Rixo (a blend of the two names) was born.
Having begun in their living room, Rixo fast-became a well-known label amongst the most devoted fashion fans, with stockists who initially turned the brand away now selling (and often selling-out of) their collections. Now, the likes of Liberty, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Net-a-Porter are all fully on-board.
Speaking exclusively to GLAMOUR UK, Net-a-Porter revealed that not only are they increasing their buy of Rixo stock year-on-year, but demand for the label has grown on their site by almost 300% since 2017.
Rixo is so popular amongst NAP buyers, in fact, that there will be an exclusive 14-piece collection launching this month (and, judging from the sneak peek we’ve had, it’ll be another huge sell-out).
In 2017, just two years in, the girls took to Covent Garden to launch their first pop-up store to attract a different crowd who were set to be wooed by the physical, tangible product hanging in store. It was so popular that they almost immediately opened a second, which lasted a further four months.
So what, exactly, is this magic that they’re selling?
While they do stock a whole hot of tops, skirts, swimwear and even bodysuits, Rixo is, and will always be, best known for its inimitable patterned dresses.
Animal-print, floral, striped, spotted, bright, monochrome – the smorgasbord of vibrant styles has rendered the label immediately recognisable from a single glance and, in turn, somewhat iconic.
Not bad for two pals with a plan, is it?
Scroll down to see 10 pieces the GLAMOUR team are lusting after right now…
