Who Are Ralph & Russo?
Buzz surrounding who will design Meghan Markle's wedding gown for the moment she walks down the aisle toward Prince Harry to become the world's first American princess increases each day as we get closer to May 19, 2018. And this past weekend, reporters announced that Ralph & Russo, the design duo favored to be the atelier of Markle's choice, were indeed tasked with designing her royal wedding gown.
The label was in the running with some of British fashion's most notable names like Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Christopher Bailey for Burberry and Erdem Moralioglu for his namesake label, but Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo have remained the most mysterious of all the candidates in the mix. According to Town & Country, when asked to comment on designing for Meghan Markle's wedding day, a spokesperson from Ralph & Russo said, "we will be politely declining to comment on this topic."
As we all know, discretion with royalty pays off, and it's highly likely that their Couture-under-the-radar vibes helped the house score the honor of appearing in Harry & Meghan's official engagement photos, and designing Meghan's bridal gown. Given that the duo tends to be a little more private than most, we (and the rest of the royal obsessed) are wondering, who are Ralph and Russo?
Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo are both Australian, and founded their label in 2007. Their atelier and label are based in London's elite Mayfair neighborhood, in a townhouse a stone's throw from the United Kingdom's best known fashion houses–like Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Roland Mouret and Jenny Packham–as well as Buckingham Palace. But, despite the competition, they are currently the only English label with true Couture status. Per Haute Couture regulations, design houses are evaluated based on their process, technical skill and structure and selected by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to show their collections in Paris in both January and July alongside labels like Dior, Chanel, Valentino and more.
While they show their collections alongside labels with storied brand heritages and decades of archives, the design house now employs more employees in their atelier than Chanel or Dior, Harper's BAZAAR UK reports. Said Russo of their decision to be based in London rather than Paris, "It’s a place to settle, as opposed to some of the other destinations for luxury...It’s where our clients buy property and send their children to school. It feels like the center of the universe." Ralph adds, "Ironically, accessibility is key. People want the exclusivity and the craftsmanship of Couture–but they want it to be able to fit into their lifestyle."
Tamara Ralph, who serves as the brand's Creative Director, oversees the atelier while Michael Russo, handles the business side of the brand. The couple, partners in both life and in business, started their brand with just a few hundred pounds and a sewing machine. Ralph is a fourth-generation couturier, having spent much of her childhood in Sydney watching her grandmother and mother cutting patterns, sewing and designing. She was designing clothes for socialites in Australia and Europe as early as the age of 15, and she met Russo by happenstance on a short trip to London when she (literally) bumped into him on the King's Road. Of his change meet cute with his wife turned business partner, Russo lovingly told BAZAAR UK, "She was lost and I was looking." Russo, then a financier, sent Ralph a one-way ticket to London, where they've lived and worked ever since.
Since their launch, the company has scaled dramatically, with the duo being named two of Fortune magazine's 40 most successful business people under 40. The company is now posed to transition from a by-appointment Couture label to a global brand, with 17 stores opening worldwide, a ready-t0-wear collection and an accessories range. The brand has reportedly signed a lease for a Madison Avenue space in New York City, according to WWD. The two have designed for royalty, some of the world's wealthiest and affluent brides across the globe. Most of their recognizable wedding gowns are presented on their Couture runways rather than down aisles, and require teams of handlers to help the models pivot and turn given the weight of the embroidery on the gowns' trains and accompanying veils.
But these designers are more about wearability than most–even when it comes to their Couture creations. The brand's celebrity fans include Angelina Jolie, who has worn their designs on the red carpet and for her meeting with the Queen, Brie Larson, Bella Hadid, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Bosworth and–most notably, Meghan Markle. In their interview with Harper's BAZAAR UK, the couple noted that despite their exclusive Haute Couture roots, their goal is accessible luxury.
"It’s about keeping our core values–the femininity, the modernity, the creativity–and translating it into an accessible product,’ says Russo. ‘It’s also about taking away… I don’t want to use the phrase “arrogant luxury” but we are all about being approachable. A lot of brands seem to enjoy putting a wall up between them and clients, but we want to be seen as available. Couture will always be at the heart of Ralph & Russo–but now we are ready to reach a wider audience. Our ambitions really have no limits." Next stop? Aside from stores in key cities worldwide, red carpets and the closets of the fashion-obsessed and the global elite–the royal wedding.
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