British Couture Comes To Harrods

British couture label Ralph & Russo has opened its first retail boutique, and it is inside Harrods. Despite boasting a rapidly expanding client list, the label - like all couture houses - previously only acquired new clients through word of mouth and recommendations, but the space has opened the forward-thinking company up for a new customer to discover organically.

"In a league of its own aesthetically and commercially, Ralph & Russo is an outright contender amongst the world's best-known luxury fashion brands," Helen David, Harrods fashion director, told us. "I couldn't be more thrilled with our launch at Harrods of their first boutique, where clients can browse their extensive archives and commission unique designs - gowns, shoes and accessories."

The location of the 150sq-m space - within Harrods's new Superbrands area - also says much about the label's growth and evolution as a fashion force to be reckoned with. The only British label chosen to sit within the offering, alongside fashion's global superstars - from Gucci and Prada, to Valentino and Dior - Ralph & Russo is thereby ratified as one of the big boys, and visionary CEO Michael Russo has no intention of stopping there.

Ralph & Russo

"Haute couture is a 150-year-old industry that has reinvented itself over the decades, against all odds," Russo said. "In order for it to remain relevant, couture has had to evolve and endure the present pace. Ironically, accessibility - which has always been its antithesis - is key. As it is first and foremost a lifestyle, couture needs to be in touch with the lives and attitudes of today's clients, who are no longer what they used to be 30 years ago. Our clients are modern women with demanding careers and schedules that don't always allow for endless fittings. With completion usually taking several weeks, sometimes months, we had until now been unable to cater to an increasing number of clients wanting pieces available within a shorter time frame. The opening of our showroom at Harrods will satisfy such clients' needs."

As well as allowing clients to make appointments to attend the atelier for the full couture or  bridal service, the space will hold pieces made exclusively for the boutique, which can be purchased immediately by the time-poor customers described by Russo.

Also on display and available for immediate purchase are the label's new shoes and accessories collections. Handcrafted in Italy, the delicate eveningwear pieces will give most Harrods customers their first taste of couture - but, careful, this Brit brand's confections are dangerously moreish.