Rixo London Debuts Drop Model at Copenhagen Fashion Week
LONDON — Rixo London is ready to dive head first into this period of change prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The young British label, which has been enjoying great commercial success for its upbeat printed pieces and sweet spot price points, is responding to ongoing industry discussions around the stagnant fashion calendar by taking action and stepping back from the traditional industry rhythm in favor of a new, monthly drop model.
The first drop is making its debut Wednesday at Copenhagen Fashion Week, with a digital presentation featuring four Scandinavian influencers: Marianne Theodorsen, Sara Flaaen, Nnenna Echem and Nicole Huisman.
“This new world is opening up so many different options that you can experiment with creativity and we are excited to jump on board,” said Henrietta Rix, the label’s cofounder.
The brand has already been experimenting with small see-now-buy-now capsules, usually introduced at London Fashion Week alongside bigger ranges designed in cadence with the traditional calendar.
“We have always had such an amazing response when showing see-now-buy-now collections, so we thought why not create this all the time?” added Orlagh McCloskey, the brand’s second founder.
The duo see this shift to monthly drops solving many of the issues the current system creates, with collections becoming better edited and timed to drop during the months they are needed.
“It’s a move to be more thoughtful in our design process and make sure we are producing the right pieces for the right seasons. We didn’t want to be restricted by the traditional fashion calendar, but instead wanted to align with our customers’ needs,” said McCloskey, also pointing to the ways a drop model could benefit the brand’s retail partners, which include the likes of Net-a-porter, Harrods, Selfridges, Galeries Lafayette and Moda Operandi.
“This new way of working will support our partners’ sell-throughs by ensuring the right product is delivering at the right time and is in sync with real world seasons. Not only is this more ethical in terms of product, it allows for our partners to plan budgets more efficiently reducing risk across the year. This will then reduce the amount of stock going into markdown and help consumers appreciate the value of our garments,” she added.
In the spirit of experimentation, McCloskey and Rix wanted to take advantage of the Copenhagen Fashion Week platform — the first city to host a fashion week format including both physical and digital events since lockdown measures began lifting.
“Copenhagen leads the way on so many levels including creativity, sustainability and the new digital age. We wanted to join this movement to produce, create and promote [our collections] in and around a new world,” Rix said. “This theme of adaptation and conscious creativity makes it right for Rixo at this moment in time.”
The duo, who are based in London, chose a digital format that came in the form of a video featuring footage of Theodorsen, Flaaen, Echem and Huisman casually waltzing around Copenhagen in their floral Rixo dresses. The goal was to hand over creative freedom to the four influencers fronting the campaign and create something intimate and homemade.
In line with the Danes’ spirit of conscious consumption, the focus of the new collection was on revisiting the signatures at the core of the brand and offering styles that can transcend seasons and trends.
This meant vintage inspirations and mismatched prints galore, just like the original designs that first brought the British label into the spotlight. There were lots of flowy midi dresses, floral pleated skirts, as well as collared sweaters, seeing as the drop is timed for next January.
“We want to show our customers the true value of our garments: That they are timeless, made for every lifestyle and can eventually become vintage themselves,” Rix said.
As the situation improves and travel bans lift, the duo is looking forward to starting to host more physical events and experimenting with more new locations and formats for future presentations. Next on their wish list: New York.
“We would love to expand into even more international fashion weeks as it’s always been such a big part of the year for Rixo, with New York being a very important one on the list. This is another city where we continue to expand and it has always inspired us,” Rix said.
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