December 14th, 2011
R/H is colorful, playful and feminine - with a fresh aftertaste of black magic. Every bit as lively as their designs is the Finnish team behind the clothes and accessories: Hanna Riiheläinen and Emilia Hernesniemi. They joined needles and threads after meeting at the University of Arts & Design in Helsinki and the outcome is a gorgeous world of shapes, cuts, colors and prints that guarantees a unique outfit. Bast Magazine snuck behind the scenes …
Tell us about your upcoming collection.
It's all about love and sunny summer days. Visual themes for the SS/12 collection are strongly influenced by love songs and rock ballads, little boys, Russian working class women and disco sailors. The colors we're working with are deep shades of blue, purple and jungle green fading to calm, nostalgic pastels.
What fabrics do you mostly work with?
We love to use materials that flatter the R/H prints and bring colors alive. The reindeer leather, silk, bamboo jersey, wool and cotton voile seem to stick with R/H. Feeling comfortable is a major thing for us - and the for women and girls who wear R/H.
Your pieces are playful but yet rough & edgy as well. Is it a fusion of your individual styles?
It's something that we've always had in common, playing with rock 'n' roll, leather, beautiful colors, black magic and a gypsy feeling … and making it wearable. It's very Finnish as well.
You design jewelry and handbags as well.
Yes, The Lucky Eye pendant and the Mountain Earrings are part of our most popular pieces, we love to design everything around the clothes too.
What sort of women does R/H design for?
The R/H woman is an individual with a creative mind.
Photos: Paavo Lehtonen
Ever thought of designing for men?
Yeah, maybe we'll do a grandpa collection one day, when we have more time.
Who are your favorite designers?
Coco Chanel and Vuokko Nurmesniemi
Do you do everything together - or do you divide tasks?
We like doing everything together, we even spend days off work together. But we do split work, Hanna is more in charge of the production side of the business while Emilia takes care of press and marketing. In the designing process Hanna's major role is keeping the collection together when it comes to the silhouette and themes; and Emilia designs all the prints.
How is the fashion scene in Finland?
"The fashion scene" is a rather big word for it, but considering Finland's history as a country big on technology and timber business', there is a lot bubbling under. We have talented designers that are starting their own labels, brands like Heikki Salonen and Laitinen are worth checking out.
You just opened up your own shop in Helsinki, how is it going?
Well, we have been working our asses off learning the ins and outs of it all. It hasn't been a walk in the park but we're very happy about the reaction especially outside Finland. There is a growing interest and curiosity in new labels and fashion here in Helsinki but it's still not as crowded with shops as Copenhagen. R/H definitely filled a gap in that sense … and now we're just waiting for our international friends to come and check out Helsinki.
Is it world domination for R/H in the future?
It's going pretty well, we were excited about getting into the Wood Wood shop in Berlin for our first collection (SS/11) and now we're thrilled about having a selection at the Henrik Vibskov boutique in Copenhagen for the SS/12 season. We don`t know what to expect from the future but hopefully we'll get older and wiser.
Find out more about the R/H label here:
www.rh-the-label.com
Words: sola@bast-magazine.com
Tell us about your upcoming collection.
It's all about love and sunny summer days. Visual themes for the SS/12 collection are strongly influenced by love songs and rock ballads, little boys, Russian working class women and disco sailors. The colors we're working with are deep shades of blue, purple and jungle green fading to calm, nostalgic pastels.
What fabrics do you mostly work with?
We love to use materials that flatter the R/H prints and bring colors alive. The reindeer leather, silk, bamboo jersey, wool and cotton voile seem to stick with R/H. Feeling comfortable is a major thing for us - and the for women and girls who wear R/H.
Your pieces are playful but yet rough & edgy as well. Is it a fusion of your individual styles?
It's something that we've always had in common, playing with rock 'n' roll, leather, beautiful colors, black magic and a gypsy feeling … and making it wearable. It's very Finnish as well.
You design jewelry and handbags as well.
Yes, The Lucky Eye pendant and the Mountain Earrings are part of our most popular pieces, we love to design everything around the clothes too.
What sort of women does R/H design for?
The R/H woman is an individual with a creative mind.
Photos: Paavo Lehtonen
Ever thought of designing for men?
Yeah, maybe we'll do a grandpa collection one day, when we have more time.
Who are your favorite designers?
Coco Chanel and Vuokko Nurmesniemi
Do you do everything together - or do you divide tasks?
We like doing everything together, we even spend days off work together. But we do split work, Hanna is more in charge of the production side of the business while Emilia takes care of press and marketing. In the designing process Hanna's major role is keeping the collection together when it comes to the silhouette and themes; and Emilia designs all the prints.
How is the fashion scene in Finland?
"The fashion scene" is a rather big word for it, but considering Finland's history as a country big on technology and timber business', there is a lot bubbling under. We have talented designers that are starting their own labels, brands like Heikki Salonen and Laitinen are worth checking out.
You just opened up your own shop in Helsinki, how is it going?
Well, we have been working our asses off learning the ins and outs of it all. It hasn't been a walk in the park but we're very happy about the reaction especially outside Finland. There is a growing interest and curiosity in new labels and fashion here in Helsinki but it's still not as crowded with shops as Copenhagen. R/H definitely filled a gap in that sense … and now we're just waiting for our international friends to come and check out Helsinki.
Is it world domination for R/H in the future?
It's going pretty well, we were excited about getting into the Wood Wood shop in Berlin for our first collection (SS/11) and now we're thrilled about having a selection at the Henrik Vibskov boutique in Copenhagen for the SS/12 season. We don`t know what to expect from the future but hopefully we'll get older and wiser.
Find out more about the R/H label here:
www.rh-the-label.com
Words: sola@bast-magazine.com