Tamara Ralph Returns to Paris Couture, Begins a New Career Chapter
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LONDON — Tamara Ralph has returned to Paris with a new, eponymous maison; a string of celebrity clients including Queen Rania of Jordan, Halle Berry and Lily James, and two big creative projects that are set to be unveiled next year.
It has not been an easy two years for the designer and cofounder of Ralph & Russo, the British couture and ready-to-wear brand that went into administration in 2021. Ralph and cofounder Michael Russo blamed the company’s failure on the pandemic, and the assets were later sold to Retail Ecommerce Ventures, owner of brands including Dressbarn.
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Since then, Ralph has brought members of her old team back on board and is making a comeback with new, private backing.
She’s showing her couture collection in Paris for the first time since before the pandemic, and plans to open a physical maison in the French capital later this year. Her her fall 2023 show will take place off-calendar on July 3 in the Grand Salon at the Shangri-La Hotel.
In an interview, Ralph said she has matured over the past two years and the collection will reflect the stronger person she feels she has become.
Ralph said the collection embodies “a bolder femininity. There are lots of typical feminine details that I’ve always used in my design career, but this time I’ve made them harder, and stronger. I’ve crafted a lot of elements in metal, and almost created an armor with cage-like structures and shields,” she said.
Ralph has worked with materials such as black velvet and white double satin, and a color palette that takes in terracotta orange and shades she describes as “gelato pink and fresh mint.”
The Australian-born, Monte Carlo-based designer describes the collection as “more confident. There is a fearlessness within it. Each piece stands on its own and is like a work of art. It is a celebration of the incredible talent and craftsmanship” in the studio, Ralph added.
In building this business, Ralph said she will not repeat past mistakes.
Ralph & Russo, which launched in 2010, was a successful, high-profile couture house, but it expanded at breakneck speed, moving into rtw, accessories, lingerie and eyewear and opening stores around the world. Ralph spent much of her time dashing around the globe, catering to clients in their homes, and on their yachts.
This time, Ralph said she’s keen to build strong foundations and move at a much slower pace. “I want to build this company very, very organically,” she said, adding that her clients have remained loyal to her over the years.
In May she dressed Queen Rania of Jordan for the coronation of King Charles III in a pastel yellow silk crepe pencil dress with a structured, off-the-shoulder bow collar and sheer sleeves.
In March, she dressed Halle Berry for the 2023 Oscars red carpet in a white keyhole cutout gown with thigh-high slits and shimmering pink rosettes.
Ralph said she’s happy to be back doing what she loves, and working with her old Ralph & Russo staff and suppliers, “everyone who I hold so dear or to me.” It’s a smaller team, she said, but that’s all part of the plan.
She said she still has a lifestyle vision and there are plans for rtw, but she’s taking her time.
Ralph is also thinking beyond fashion, and said she’s working on two creative projects in other industries. She declined to reveal any details, but stressed that she is keen to access revenue streams outside fashion.
“I learned throughout COVID[-19] that it’s important to have other elements in the business that can help sustain the company,” she said.
“Although my vision will always be to build a lifestyle brand, I’m also working on two collaborations in the top tier of luxury. They’re with incredible brands at the top of their respective sectors. I’m doing things that I never thought I would, or could, do — and I love it,” said Ralph, whose first collaboration will be revealed in January.
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