REBECCA VALLANCE
REFLECTING BACK ON 10 YEARS OF WORK BUILDING A GLOBAL FASHION BRAND.
How does it feel to reflect back on 10 years of hard work, building a global fashion brand? That’s the question we’re asking today’s guest – Rebecca Vallance.
She’s built an iconic Australian label that has been worn by some of the biggest names around the world including Chrissy Teigen, Hailey Bieber, Megan Gale and, of course, lady-brains.
Her clothes are stocked in some of the biggest retailers - Net-a-Porter online, Harrods in London, and Saks 5th Avenue in NY, just to name a few.
She’s well known for her structured tailoring and luxury fabrics, but she’s recently expanded into new categories, including bridal, loungewear and swim. What doesn’t she do?
RV is back on the runway here at Carriageworks for Afterpay Australian Fashion Week and we couldn’t be more excited to share the stage and host her on the lady-brains show for the first ever live podcast at AAFW.
You’ll learn:
How Rebecca navigated the transition from small business to big brand.
Why she’s expanded into new categories like bridal, swim and activewear, and the questions you should be asking yourself if you’re thinking of doing something similar.
How Rebecca responded one year after Net-A-Porter decided not to take on her new collection.
The impact that Carla Zampatti had on Rebecca, and the biggest lessons she left her with.
We hope you enjoyed this conversation – for more podcast action follow us on Instagram @lady.brains, or sign up to our monthly newsletter at www.ladybrains.com
THE BITS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS
“To do what myself and other designers do, you have to live and breathe it. Because if you come to run a fashion brand, and you’re only 50% in, you are going to fail. ”
“If it’s not perfect, it doesn’t go out the door. I shot my swim campaign two weeks ago, and I didn’t think it was up to scratch so I got rid of the entire thing and reshot it last week. Now I’m absolutely thrilled and proud of it. You only have got one shot at a first impression. If it’s not on point, if it’s not absolutely incredible, people will pass you by for the next person. ”
“Surround yourself with like-minded people. At RV, there’s no challenge that we don’t face as a team. There might be one area of the business that takes a hit one day, and I might take a hit the other day, but you have to believe in yourself. And I surround myself with people I know have my back. ”
“I was with the Head of Net-A-Porter’s buying team in Paris, and she spent two hours with me telling me why she wasn’t picking up the brand that season. I had a notepad out and wrote down every detail. Then we went back and we worked on it, and re-presented it to her at Australian Fashion Week. And she picked up the brand. You’ve got to take the wins, take the lows, and keep your eye on the prize. You’ve got to keep making sure you’re authentic in the product and in yourself, and stay positive. ”
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