W
henPrinceHarryandMeghanMarkle
releasedtheir engagementphotosto
thepublicin2017,thefutureDuchessof
Sussex’slong-sleevedgownwitha sheer
topandtulleskirtsparkedaninstant
controversy.Itwasmodern,glamorous,and,at£56,000
($68,112),incrediblyexpensive.TotheDailyMirror, it was
“racierthanwhatwe’reusedto.”
Butto thelow-profile
fashion house Ralph &
Russo,it wasa royalcoup.
CreativedirectorTamara
Ralph had founded the
businessin 2010 withthen-
boyfriend, now-fiancé
MichaelRusso.Afourth-
generationcouturierand
nativeofSydney,shesold
herfirstpiece,a skirt,at
age12. Up until Markle,
though, the duo had
cateredtobillionairecli-
entsoutofa seven-floor,
19thcentury townhouse in
London’s Mayfair district in
a rather quiet fashion.
It’s been a quick
rise since. In June 2018,
Angelina Jolie was photo-
graphed attending a service
at St. Paul’s Cathedral in
London in an ivory couture
Ralph & Russo dress and
matching fascinator. Last
winter, Priyanka Chopra
donned a cream-colored
silk-crepe couture jump-
suit from the brand in a
ceremony before her wed-
ding to pop star Nick Jonas.
In less than a decade, the
duo has established itself
right alongside the elite old
guard. Now the brand must
grapple with what all inde-
pendently funded fashion
houses must face—how to take on financial backers without
losing its identity and individualized focus on the customer.
Day to day, Ralph plays the role of the fairy godmother, win-
ning over clients with lavishly personalized fittings, unusual
even in the rarefied world of haute couture. Not many mai-
sons exist where customers still get to sit down at length with
the person whose name is on the door. “They’ve taken lux-
ury fashion back to the olden days,” says retail consultant Said
Chaarawi. “Like when nobles and royalty would go and sitwith the craftsmen and commission a piece of art or a gown.”
Ralph & Russo is the first British brand in almost a cen-
tury to be accepted as a member of the Chambre Syndicale
de la Haute Couture, the French regulatory body that offi-
cially deems what is and isn’t haute couture. Twice a year,
the brand is invited to show at Paris Haute Couture fash-
ion week with the likes of Chanel (founded 1910), Givenchy
(1952), Valentino (1960), and Elie Saab (1982).
The reason for Ralph
& Russo’s swelling popu-
larity is straightforward:
The goods are gorgeous.
Hallmarks include lumi-
nous fabrics, elegant
flattering shapes like
nipped-waist jackets,
and decadent yet tasteful
embellishments such as
crystal-glass beading and
rose-gold foiling. Ralph
hasa dreamyaestheticthat
anticipateswhatherclients
want—think diaphanous
silk-chiffon gowns and
A-line wedding dresses
with intricately embroi-
dered bodices. “Couture
represents the fairy tale,”
she says.
At its most recent show,
held in July at the British
Embassy in Paris, models
floateddowntherunway
in sherbet-huedruffled-
organza frocks and a
bejeweled midlength dress
featuring tiers of pale pink
ostrich feathers. “Fantasy
made real,” was how Vogue
described it.
But while Ralph &
Russo adheres to the
painstaking craftsmanship
and elite design required
for its haute couture dis-
tinction, the brand does
not strive to be high art. It aims to make clothes that sell.
Stylistically, the designs are accessible for a certain swath
of moneyed client. “Tamara’s style is very classic,” Chaarawi,
the consultant, says. “It’s not adventurous or cutting-edge.
You look at other brands, they’re very artistic. But you see
themonthecatwalkandyouthink,HowwouldI wearthat?
YoulookatRalph& Russo’sline—everysinglething,youcan
seeyourself wearing.”
Ralph, who studied fashion at the Whitehouse Institute of58
FALL STYLE Bloomberg Pursuits August 26, 2019“They’ve taken luxury fashion back to
the olden days, like when nobles and royalty
would go and sit with the craftsmen
and commission a piece of art or a gown”Ralph and Russo