Riley Studio by Holly Mackenzie- Potter

By Holly Potter & Mollie Lynch

Research

Written By Mollie

Riley Studio is a gender neutral clothing brand focused on creating clothes that are ‘kind to the planet’ alongside being wardrobe staples for customers. Their ethos is that they ‘create from waste’ by sourcing recycled materials to make their clothing, reducing waste materials that get thrown out every year by brands and consumers. Riley Studios use ECONYL Yarn in their knitwear which is made from discarded fishing nets, carpet flooring and fabric straps to be wound into the string and knitted to make a fully recycled garment. Recover Yarn is also used, made from waste plastic bottles by cutting and shredding the plastic down and spinning the fibres into yarn. Riley Studios states that they have chosen to use Recover Yarn in an effete to tackle the global waste crisis and alleviate pressure from virgin materials like nylon and wool. Water can also be conserved through these recycling methods, up to 15,000 litres of water can be conserved by using 1Kg of Recover Yarn vs a conventionally dyed cotton fibre. Riley Studio make their involvement in conservation of records and the environment very well known on their website as well as with their branding, presenting themselves as a brand with a gender neutral wardrobe and a passion for the environment and ethical clothing production.

All About Rilwy S

“We are on a mission to change mindsets and make conscious consumerism the norm.” - Riley Studio

Studio

Another one of Riley Studio’s goals is to create clothing for the individual. Whilst believing that ‘style has no boundaries,’ Riley Studio create their clothes without gender in mind, where all of their imagery is balanced with male and female models, gender neutral designs and simple cuts. The aesthetic of the brand is closely related to their ethos; the colour palettes neutral tones like browns, blacks and whites and imagery being shot outside in places full of nature. Riley Studio instagram (@riley.studio) presents the same aesthetics as the website, with lots of neutral tones, a lack of pattern and bright colours and an equal representation of men and women. They post images of their products as well as photos from the collections that are online. They present as a well established brand having 10.1K Instagram followers and all images looking professionally shot, either of products in the studio or models in the clothes on location. Their most recent collection is the cashmere collection which consists of moody shots by the sea, cool grey tones and lots of close up imagery of the model in the garment. The focus here is on the free spirit aesthetic, the model being wrapped up warm in his cashmere sweater by the open land. It creates the feeling of freedom of expression and exploration, linking in with the gender neutral designs of the brand and their goals of being an environmentally conscious brand that designs staple pieces for the customer, allowing them to be free to express themselves how they want with their very neutral and practical clothing.

Moodboard Created By Holly Potter

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Polaroids

Photographer Holly Potter Model J. H. Jung, Xiao Zhen

Blurb Riley Studio Redefining Retail

2020, Gender norms are now being reestablished and defined. Fashion plays a huge impact into our livelihood we not only utilise it as a way to claim our identity but also to be used as a tool to portray a message; an upcoming contemporary brand featured in London Fashion Week 2020 Riley studio has recently demonstrated the power brands can have to influence our decisions. In our recent article, we discover the idealism behind the simplistic approach of their garments and how it questions social perception and mannerisms toward shopping habits. Find out ways brands can influence your mindset as a consumer.

Written By Holly Potter Photographed By Holly potter

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Written By Holly Potter Photographed By Holly potter & Mollie lynch

“For life not just a season” [ we are human kind ]

RILEY STUDIO Riley studio strives to change the mindsets of a consumer by interacting with their audience about the topic of consumerism and how it can be impactful to our environment. The garments are constructed with an ethical approach ensuring the manufacturing process is sustainable and utilising planet friendly ingredients. Their core belief system is based on the foundation of a circular future where people actively work with a conscious mindset to achieve innovative eco-friendly practises.

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Fashion For the Future Recycled Cashmere Sweater in Cloud. Recycled Wool Tailored Trouser in Midnight. Recycled Cashmere Sweater and Scarf in Charcoal.

Riley studio recent collection featured at London Fashion Week showcased gender-neutral garments following a palette consisting of dark grey, charcoal and beige hues. Garments featured are classic wardrobe staples providing the consumer with an alternative elevated durable solution for everyday wear with a simplified androgynous silhouette. The collection discusses an underlying theme of gender fluidity with their garments being worn on both genders making a statement that we are equal and there are no boundaries. Additionally, Riley studio also used the collection to discuss a more major topic of sustainability from the collection featuring aspects made from recycled material. Riley studio wanted to educate designers today and emphasis on how they can exercise a more environmental approach to the construction of their garments. as a pioneer of creating gender-neutral and versatile design garments, they aim to maximise the Product durability longevity ensuring waste is not an option.

“Created from Waste” Classic Sweatshirt in Midnight. Tencel Polo Neck in Charcoal.

“We believe in individuality and that’s why we design without gender in mind. “ - Riley Studio

Riley studio has actively participated in the movement of equality and acceptance beyond gender. Their brand has a gender-neutral approach to their products as one of their distinct belief is to make clothes without gender in mind and focus on the product individuality and quality. Riley studio has enforced their belief with releasing a statement on their website discussing the reasoning behind being a gender-neutral brand “Style knows no boundaries, and neither should we.” Riley studio is on a mission to diminish the idealism clothing is made for gender and refocus on the garment production and the quality. Their ethos as a brand is to get society to focus on the production process and the consumer responsibility changing their mindsets “ We believe in a circular future, where people and the planet work together at equilibrium”- Riley studio. Their brand is an inspiration to our industry, not only do their garments possess eco-friendly qualities they also strive to influence and educate their consumer on the importance of their responsibility as a consumer.

We live in a society today where our perception and views on gender fluidity are more open and accepting.Gender norms are now being compromised and stereotypes are being argued, demolished and redefined by our youth. Gender Neutral Fluidity is a predominant and controversial topic within society today - Many people from different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds can connect with this as it’s interpersonal and negotiable. Our society today has a variety of different views on Gender Neutral conversations. Brands today have a responsibility on what they are portraying in the media they now actively partake in movements and acknowledge the impact they can have on our society.

Photographer Holly Potter Model J. H. Jung, Xiao Zhen

Photographer Mollie Lynch Model Sam Harvey

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Photographer Mollie Lynch Model Sam Harvey