Henrietta Rix & Orlagh McCloskey started selling dresses from their student house. Now, they’re in charge of one of fashion’s favourite new brands. Hannah Banks-Walker found out just how they did itIt’s fair to say that Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McCloskey were not typical students. Their living room wasn’t populated with the expected debris from a rowdy night out, instead it was littered with fabric, sketches and the first pieces of a puzzle that would eventually fit together to become Rixo.
The pair met at university in London, where they became fast friends, business partners and surrogate sisters to one another. Both worked for a year at ASOS, where a lack of passion for the work they were doing there galvanised them into action – they left, with not much of a plan, but an idea of what they wanted to do. “We realised very quickly that there is a way more sustainable way of working,” says McCloskey.
Indeed, Rixo has tapped into the mid-market sweet spot that was neglected for so long. In the last few years, we’ve seen a hoard of new brands emerge, offering beautiful, stylish clothes for a competitive price. And Rixo is one of the leading lights, worn by countless influencers on Instagram, as well as celebrities from Holly Willoughby to Sandra Bullock – such is the broad appeal of Rixo’s distinctive designs. “I think Sandra Bullock was a really cool moment,” says Rix.
Such overwhelming success is not without a price, however. “We have literally put everything else in our lives on hold,” says Rix. “We don’t have boyfriends, we don’t have social lives really. Everyone’s like, ‘oh there’s so many parties’, we get invited to those but we just don’t go because we’re genuinely working.
Net-a-Porter, Saks and boutiques across the world now stock Rixo, which is only getting bigger. But as there are no outside investors, Rix and McCloskey control every aspect of the business, including the Instagram account. “While we’ve grown the brand via wholesale marketing, Instagram’s allowed us to have a complete direct connection with our consumer,” says Rix.