Approval ROYAL

Rachel Riley’s childrenswear designs have become world renowned, so we track her story from the Parisian catwalk to an idyllic life in the Chiltern Hills

By MARK KEBBLE

It’s nearly a decade since Rachel Riley’s international profile rocketed after Prince George was photographed wearing the label’s dungarees on the royal tour of New Zealand in 2014 –and at a time when the royals are very much in the spotlight, it’s little surprise that there remains a clamouring for the Buckinghamshire-based designer’s work. “We have just launched an exclusive ‘Princess Collection’ for the Four Seasons resort at Disney World Orlando,” Rachel smiles when talking about the label’s summer launches.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say, however, that even without Prince George’s helpful promotion, the Rachel Riley brand would have flourished. Her designs are simply joyful, timeless and luxurious, and little wonder that other big names across di erent industries are keen to work with her. “We enjoy partnering with like-minded businesses on exciting collaborations,” Rachel explains. “Last year saw the launch of our partnership with Annabel Karmel and Smalls Merino, and most recently we launched a range of paints with the children’s paint brand Little Knights.”

Rachel has come far since, as she says, being a child who “liked to please”. At school, she was labelled as academic, but clearly she was very creative too. “I was very good at making things and loved to learn needlework and dressmaking when I started secondary school aged 11,” she recalls. “I would make clothes for my dolls, my baby sister, my mum’s friend who had a little girl, and as a teenager I made all my own clothes. By the time I started university I had a wardrobe of things I had made!”

When university came around, Rachel experienced the fashion industry first hand. “Once I started modelling in Paris for the summer between my first and second years studying Social Anthropology at Cambridge, I saw what it meant to run a ‘fashion house’ and met many designers that I was then interested to emulate. I have great memories of this time. I funded myself through university working as a model and it was a great adventure too! It took me to lots of wonderful places and I met some fantastic people along the way. It was a very fun time to be a model in those days. I know how lucky I was to be in the right place at the right time. I knew I always wanted to do something in fashion and working as a model I got to see first-hand how the design process works. I could experience the joy it brought, not only us as models wearing the collections, but also the people who ended up buying them.”

What inspired her to go behind the scenes and make clothes, rather than hit the catwalk and show o the designs of others? “Friends started to ask me about my children’s clothes and where I bought them and it was really thanks to them that I took the plunge and created my own business as I had made them all myself,” she says. “We started very simply. I cut patterns and made samples and started with one seamstress to make to order. I have always thought it best to take small steps as you go along rather than grand gestures.”

Was it di cult to get the company o the ground? “Of course!” she exclaims. “It’s always challenging starting your own business, but I started it in a very organic way, initially making designs for friends and family beyond expanding it into something bigger. I am a great believer in ‘we will cross that bridge when we come to it’.”

It wasn’t long, however, when Rachel realised she was on to something. “The initial edit was quite small with a focus on baby pieces, smocking and knitwear and we sold the collection via mail order catalogues (this was before the days of the internet!). I have always loved print and textiles, so printed pieces were, and still are, a large part of what we o er.

“The first collection completely sold out within months of launching, which made me realise there was a gap in the market for this type of product,” she says. “We were o ering beautiful, well made, comfortable clothes for children at the right price, so quite quickly we saw their appeal.”

Over the years, the Rachel Riley brand has stayed ahead of the curve thanks to constant evolution – “We include footwear, which is all made by hand by artisan shoe makers in the Loire in France, and we have extended the collection to include more casual styles and also swimwear that is always very popular,” Rachel adds – and that extended to upping sticks and moving to Buckinghamshire.

“I live in the Chiltern Hills and we first discovered it when we would come here to cycle,” she explains. “I used to live in London and was born there, but I prefer to be in the countryside surrounded by nature. I am lucky enough to have a garden, and grow my own vegetables, although my husband says I am more enthusiastic than talented. It’s always a work in progress!”

Family, too, remains a constant. “This is very much a family business,” Rachel says. “My husband Daniel is a professional photographer who has worked with some of the leading brands including Chanel and he takes all our pictures. My children have always been my muses and the collections have been designed around them. They were also our mini models when we started out! We go out for a walk every morning before breakfast – come rain or shine –and enjoy walking up to Whiteleaf Cross.

Recently we enjoyed a wonderful meal with friends at Hartwell House, it was so special and the most extraordinary place.” Everything looks rosey in the house of Rachel Riley, but she prefers to consider her royal connections to be something that benefits the industry around her in general. “It’s been wonderful to see the smallest members of the royal family wear our designs on so many occasions and it’s certainly helped support the revival of traditional British childrenswear, something which has translated across the Atlantic in countries like the USA and Japan too.” rachelriley.co.uk