British Royals, Pretty Prints & Make-Up Must-Haves: 24 Hours With Rachel Riley
The founder, designer and director of her eponymous brand shares a day in her shoes
6:00 A.M Is the time I wake up. I write my diary in bed and then pull my sports kit on and go straight out for a jog. I love to feel the fresh air and to see the seasons change around me.
7:30 A.M After my jog and some yoga in the garden, I do my make-up while chatting to my husband. My make-up favourites are Bobbi Brown eyeliner and M.A.C mineralize face powder. For perfume, I love Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps in the autumn and switch to Issey Miyake L’eau D’Issey for the summer – to me it smells like beach holidays.
8:00 A.M It takes me a few seconds to decide what to wear. It’s always themed with what I am doing, and the season. If I’m going to a meeting in May, I might wear a strawberry-print dress as its strawberry season. I almost always wear my own prints.
There’s often a subtle message in what I’m wearing but no one might notice. For example, I might wear a chick-print blouse signifying new beginnings, or a lily of the valley flower print which signifies good luck! It might not be obvious for the people I meet, but it makes me smile and feel positive and energised. I have always had my own personal style. In terms of brands, I love Prada, Emilia Wickstead and Bella Freud.
8:45 A.M I head to my studio. I am lucky to have a design studio at home. Since the pandemic I’ve worked from home. It works so well for me.
9:00 A.M I meet with the team on Zoom every day for design meetings and catch-ups about our sales, plans and projects. We are a team of 20. I love the fact that the team has been so adaptable that we can now work from home and are a better, more focused group – as well as having a better quality of life. I am humbled that we have successfully been able to adapt and change the way we work. This is reflective of the collective efforts of our team. I live in the Chiltern Hills of Buckinghamshire in the UK. I am only 40 minutes from London by train if I need to attend meetings in person.
I’m sure I am quite a demanding leader. I sometimes ask my team ‘is this award-winning?’ But mostly I am incredibly adaptable and tolerant. As long as excellent work is being produced it doesn’t matter where or when my team are working. Our team members are almost always women, the childrenswear industry is quite female-rich, and several of our team have young kids and work around their own schedule.
10:00 A.M I’m in full swing. We design and sell our own collections, both retail and wholesale, and have spent the past few years doing some fun collaborations. The most recent one was an exclusive collection for Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Disney World. Pre-pandemic I used to travel a lot for shows and production trips. I am amazed to see that our business seems to work just as efficiently without any foreign travel, which is so much better for the planet. It also means that I have more time to tend to my garden. I’m a really keen gardener.
11:00 A.M I make a quick cup of tea and its back to work. I have a sit-to-stand desk and enjoy moving it up and down depending on the task. I also have a bouncy ball to sit on, and sometimes turn the music up and bounce in rhythm. Now that I work from home I can sing along, too.
1:00 P.M I stop for lunch – usually a salad or sandwich enjoyed in the garden, then it’s back to work.
1:45 P.M We recently launched our Back to School collection. I adore the printed pieces. Children’s clothes need to feel comfortable and easy to wear, so above all, when it comes to designing our collections we make sure that kids love to wear them. We have lots of celebrity customers and we have also been honoured to have Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis wear our outfits on many occasions. Last month we were excited to see Princess Charlotte wear our Breton stripe dress to the Commonwealth Games. It’s always nice to see royal children and celebrities wear our outfits, but I’m just as pleased to see all of our customers share photos with us.
6:00 P.M Is the time I usually finish work. I like my desk to be tidy and I never leave before I’ve organised it all to be ‘just-so’ for the next day.
7:00 P.M I recently joined a local spa so two nights a week I go for a swim and sauna which makes me feel like I’m on holiday. Otherwise I’m in the garden again deadheading the roses or harvesting the courgettes.
8:30 P.M My husband is an excellent cook and every evening he makes us a recipe from one of the Ottolenghi books. I go out and pick fresh salad and herbs to use. I love eating dinner in front of the television watching Grand Designs.
10:30 P.M Is usually when I am ready for bed. I’m currently reading Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull. I also love to listen to books, and my recent favourite was about the philosophy of Adler, The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. I have also loved the drama of Thirteen Minutes to the Moon, so I am listening to that again – the bravery and commitment of the team who went to the moon in 1969 is extraordinary! The last thing I do before turning out the light is say goodnight to my husband and wish him a good night’s rest.
Visit Rachelriley.co.uk
Rachel’s faves…
Blouse, Dhs2,835, Emilia Wickstead at Net-A-Porter. 13 Minutes to the Moon podcast, BBC World Service. Mineralize Skinfinish, Dhs155, M.A.C Cosmetics. L’Air du Temps EDT, Dhs200, Nina Ricci. Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull, Dhs90
From the A/W22 issue of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia Junior
Images courtesy of Rachel Riley