A balanced individual with a creative mind – I wouldn’t mind if that’s how people would describe me. While I acknowledge that having someone choose the word balanced to describe me might require more frequent yoga than what I get around to at the moment, at least I can always dress the part. “A balanced individual with a creative mind” happens to be how the girls behind the Finnish brand R/H, Emilia Hernesniemi and Hanna Riiheläinen, describe the R/H woman.
Hanna and Emilia, both graduates of the University of Art & Design Helsinki, started their own line while still at school, and have since shot straight to stardom. They are only at their 2nd commercial season, but the brand is already sold in shops around the world, so I would guess these girls are in for a very bright future. R/H has also gotten around to attending the fashion weeks in Copenhagen and New York, where they received a very warm welcome.
The girls behind the brand, both wearing R/H. Photo courtesy of the NY magazine (yes, they're that cool)
The current SS/11 collection was inspired by carnations and dahlias, meat eating plants, the Nordic summer sky as well as Mickey Mouse, Dolly Parton and the famous Dada artist Picabia. The list might feel a tad skitzophrenic to some, but the pieces in the collection combine all these elements in a seamless, beautiful and wearable way.
Mickey Mouse and Dahlias, see what they mean?
And what better way for a young, ambitious brand with inbuilt international flare to conquer the world than an online shop! The R/H online shop has recently opened to the public, and with shipping available to all countries it should only be a matter of time until you’ll bump into these pieces in the streets of Tokyo. That, for me, is the beauty of online shopping – the way it can help spread up-and-coming design around the world, in an instant. No need for heavy investments in store space, no need for young designers to waste their time sucking up to big retailers (they’ll be able to concentrate on designing, which means we’ll get more cool stuff sooner) no need for us customers to fit a shopping spree into our lunch hour (and believe me, should you try that in London it’s very likely you won’t be the only one doing it…). All in all it’s smooth, sweet, and available to everyone.
The R/H shop is pretty nicely laid out, with good imagery and easy navigation.I love the way they use the same model throughout, since it makes comparing different pieces much more simple – they also state the hight and size of the model, which help in deciding what’s the right size for you.
Anna is tall and slim, but they do other sizes, too
I would appreciate some added information on sizeing and a zoom to look at details though, but you go have a spin at their site, and share your thoughts at R/H’s Shobble profile!
Images: R/H, NY Magazine
