In my line of work, I have had the pleasure of meeting Henrietta Rix, co-founder of ladieswear brand RIXO. Luckily, she was kind enough to have a chat to me a little more about the business, why she and her co-founder started it and how they are faring in the modern world of retail post COVID-19.

The speed of the brands growth is awe-inspiring. The secret to its appeal, in my opinion, is down to the uniqueness of each piece. Rixo actually labels each of its pieces after women’s first names, a technique previously adopted by Temperley Bridal which adds another level to the identity of the garment, an additional personal touch.

The styles of the pieces bring back a vintage approach to the use of hand painted patterns. Both the individuality of the design and pattern on the dresses embrace and accentuate the uniqueness of each woman who wears it. The character of each piece and the bespoke pattern reflects and celebrates female confidence in a visual way. Their pieces allow women to express themselves on another level and strut their stuff down the streets feeling confident in their bold choice of attire. And confident in their lives. It is no surprise then that these dresses are so popular, and these dresses appeal to so many women of all ages. For all occasions. 

RIXO’s use of physical space shows this even more. They have now had various stores across London, namely their site on the King’s Road and also on Floral Street in Covent Garden. They splash their character onto the walls, chairs, carpets and general décor, expanding their message synonymously as the patterns spread. It’s bold and beautiful.

What made you start the RIXO brand? Have you always been passionate about it?  Orlagh and I met at University and instantly connected on our love of vintage fashion. Our favourite thing to do was, and still is, vintage hunting at charity shops, markets and fairs, finding those one-off pieces that last forever. This is what inspired RIXO, this unique timelessness and quality. It’s definitely something we have always been passionate about, so we decided to fill that gap in the market with our hand painted prints.

What is the USP of the business?  Our USP is that we create vintage inspired, unique, flattering shapes that can be worn by every woman and are pieces that last and passed down to become vintage themselves. The collections are high quality at more attainable prices, with prints designed and hand painted by us!

What obstacles have you and your business partner overcome during the initial growth/birth of the business?Orlagh and I started RIXO from our shared living room with around £2000 each of personal savings and no external investors. At the beginning, maintaining the costs at a bare minimum and making sure we were profitable from year one was a huge obstacle but one with hard work that we were able to succeed in. 

How are RIXO making an effort to remain a sustainable business?  Sustainability is something we are constantly growing in and learning about. By creating lifestyle pieces, we are hopefully encouraging our customers to re-wear time and time again, to any occasion and to pass them down amongst generations to avoid over-buying and wasted garments. We truly are inspired by vintage, so that notion of unique, cyclical pieces is so important to us.

In a bid to be more conscious in creating, we have decided to move to monthly drops, starting with our January 2021 collection, to produce more edited styles that fit with the true season on a smaller scale, providing less waste. From the beginning, we have also had a great relationship with a family run factory, where we have total control in our efforts to deliver considered production. With regular visits, we ensure everything is on the highest of standards including the conditions, health and happiness of every worker. Our full supply chain life cycle happens in one place to reduce our carbon footprint with low impact manufacturing and reduced transportation. 

If you could give 3 words to summarise the first stages of starting your business what would they be? Your whole life! 

What has surprised you most about the growth of the brand over the last few years? The constant support of our customers, our #HumansofRIXO, always surprises and overwhelms us! They are the most important element of the brand and have helped the business grow tremendously. I think what our customers love, is seeing our pieces on every kind of woman, of every age and size. It encourages them to experiment with our bright prints and colour ways, and induces confidence. I’m still amazed when I see photos of a customer dressed in RIXO next to her grandmother who also stuns in one of our dresses. That is what RIXO is all about, inclusivity and timelessness for everyone.

Have you seen an increase in attention given to your products since COVID-19? How have your customers attitudes/priorities changed during the past few months in these times? Covid-19 has been a challenging time for the fashion industry as a whole and has effected us all in different ways. There was definitely a decline in sales but we are so lucky to have a really loyal community who have stuck with us! I think in terms of new attitudes, there has been an increase in attention when it comes to purchasing and the quality and durability of that purchase. Now more than ever, there’s been a rise in more considerate shopping, with women wanting a guarantee of their garments lasting and are prepared to pay extra for it. We’ve seen a change in priorities which has been really great for us, to know our brand is trusted to deliver those needs in our collections!

What are your most popular products, dresses and pieces? And what is your personal favourite?   Our most popular products are our Steph and Roxy dresses. The Steph, a midi dress with gorgeous puff sleeves and open back, came in our SS20 collection and got a huge, positive response at market with our wholesalers. We have since produced the shape in three different prints. The Roxy is a little mini number with a full skirt and long, boho sleeves. The shapes make them really easy to wear on any occasion which is why they are so loved!

The autumn dress from our AW20 collection is one of my all time favourites. The patchwork print gives an automatic feel good factor and I can layer it up with my vintage shirts for a more casual look in the day. 

What tips would you give to women who are looking start a business and make their passion their income? Don’t listen to anyone saying you can’t do it, because you always can if you put your mind to it. One of the biggest things for Orlagh and I was to trust our instincts so I think that’s really important too!

The business has grown fast and seems very robust with a loyal customer base. What obstacles do you see (other than the obvious COVID-19 difficulties) that you will have to tackle for the brand over the coming years?  Growing at a pace to ensure we are getting all the internal systems in place and infrastructure to keep RIXO growing ,and developing an amazing international team. 

You work with many other women in the retail industry, do you feel that the industry in the last 5 years is more supportive and welcoming to entrepreneurial women than it was historically? I think things have improved over the last few years, now more than ever, with women stepping up, being brave and confronting the wrongs within the industry. On our journey, we’ve been fortunate to work and collaborate with so many amazing, inspiring women from all aspects of the industry and this mutual support is everything. It’s these relationships that bring the success, showing that when we band together, that’s when the industry becomes more supportive and welcoming. 

When you have done pop-ups before, have you felt that the customer engages well to experiencing the brand in a tangible capacity when in physical space? Has this been complimentary and supportive to the online business? Our stores are a huge part of the business and having that physical connection with the customer goes a long way for RIXO! With our spaces, we love to create a visual experience for the customer, a place where they can relax and shop in a joyful atmosphere and not have to rush out. We always have a great engagement, with both regular customers and new ones. We love to hold events in the spaces too as we feel having that interaction and including our community is so important. Both the store and website go hand in hand, with both teams working well to support each other and making sure our customers are getting the best care. We are looking to expand, with some more physical spaces, so keep your eyes peeled!!

What women inspire you personally?  My mum, she’s the most hard working yet effortlessly stylish woman I know. 

To me, RIXO exemplifies and embodies timeless style as you have women from all ages in your pieces. Has it surprised you that the brand calls out to such a broad customer base?  Not so much surprises, but excites us. It’s something we’ve been adamant about from the start, this notion of inclusivity, and that each design has to work for all ages. It really does make it so special seeing all generations in our pieces! We recently did a Mother’s Day campaign back in March where we reached out to our community to star in it with their family, or the people they see as mother figures. We had one family of three generations, a grandmother, mother and two daughters/granddaughters dressed up in our black and white floral swirl print in different shapes. It was amazing to see!

Your signature product of the bright coloured patterned dress is increasingly popular, and you have also grown the accessories and headband products, is this something you plan on expanding and growing more? We’ve loved expanding into different products and when our signature dresses will always be the main event, we will definitely be delivering more accessories. Our scrunchies are so loved, especially those that match our dresses. Headbands are also always such a big summer staple, so we can’t wait to design some more.

What would you say is a favourite career highlight to date? Each day just being able to work with my best friend, as cheesy as it sounds!!

Are there any other female brands that you take inspiration from when it comes to designing products or taking inspiration from for new collections/new lines? There are so many beautiful female brands out there and we love seeing how different everyone’s niche can be. When taking inspiration, we often look back at some of the older designers and their more vintage collections. Back in February when we showcased our collaboration, at LFW, with the House of Christian Lacroix, it was such a dream to work with them because we have always been inspired and influenced by their past collections’ aesthetic. They have such a flare for bold colours and prints you have never seen and embellishments that are so dramatic! It’s also our personal vintage collection, from the charity shops and markets, that we gain inspiration from because they are the pieces that, in our eyes, are timeless and unique. 

What is the main identity of RIXO? Can you describe it in 3 words? Flattering, lifestyle, vintage.

You are currently stocked in Liberty. Do you identify with the Liberty’s ethos? Yes, Liberty have always had the most beautiful prints, so we love to have RIXO stocked there and in such an amazing, historical building! 

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At The C Word we are about celebrating EVERY woman and their ethos and this is directly synonymous with RIXO’s USP as a brand. 

It is great to hear first-hand how the fashion industry is welcoming young female entrepreneurs and that this climate is evolving into a more inviting environment for such endeavours. It is clear that, for RIXO, the relationship with the customer remains as prevalent as ever and this is paramount when considering personal interaction with a product or garment. Owning your own body is key in today’s world to celebrate our varying different shapes, encourages all forms of beauty and not one uniform right way of looking ‘good’. These pieces make the women wearing them feel good too. 

It is also great to hear that RIXO’s monthly drops are in fact resulting in less waste, this is a fresh way of looking at sustainability in fashion, as the argument thus far seems to want to slow down the pace of production.

You can find out more about RIXO on Instagram @rixo or the hashtag #humansofrixo or get buying on their website now!