The Challenges of a Business in the Face of Brexit

Starting with a website and a tiny budget, friends Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McCloskey launched women's fashion brand Rixo in 2015 while studying fashion in London. Eight years later, the brand is growing, with a 70% revenue increase in 2022, plus it's launching new categories and expanding within the U.S. market. Rixo is best known for its vintage-inspired printed dresses and counts Taylor Swift and the Duchess of Cambridge as fans.

Rixo sells through its own stores, wholesale channels including independent stores and department stores, and its own e-commerce site. During the 2022 fiscal year, it earned $21 million in revenue, compared to $12 million the year prior. In April, the brand launched a flagship store on London's King’s Road, enlisting McCloskey’s twin sister, Culpa Studio's Gemma McCloskey, to design it The 5,000-square-foot space includes a standalone bridal suite that's available for private appointments, as well as alterations services, a coffee kiosk, cocktails and a private events “apartment” space on the second floor. 

In January, Rixo introduced product categories including homeware, nightwear and bridal. Rixo is the only brand on the London Fashion Week schedule producing clothes in U.K. sizes through 24. It will launch its first styles available up to size 26 with influencer Abisola Omole in July. 

On the Glossy Podcast, co-founder Henrietta Rix discusses the brand’s plans for the U.S., its new category strategy, the need for more inclusive sizing in the contemporary fashion market, the brand effects of Brexit and Rixo's mission to redefine accessible bridal shopping experiences.