LONDON — Rebecca Vallance makes dresses fit for princesses — literally.
Zara Tindall, the daughter of Princess Anne, was among those that came together on Nov. 14 to celebrate Vallance’s eponymous brand relaunch at Harrods after stepping back during the pandemic.
“Zara’s worn quite a bit of Rebecca Vallance over the years, and she traveled in 90 minutes to come to the event. Then, she went to King Charles‘s birthday dinner that night in one of our dresses,” the designer said in an interview.
The relaunch spotlighted Vallance’s newly released holiday collection, which the designer said took inspiration from Italy’s “la bella vita” lifestyle.
The collection, titled Maria Amalia, ranges from 345 pounds for a rhinestone-embellished cropped bustier to 1,210 pounds for a full-length silk crepe evening gown featuring diamante appliqué flourishes.
“It was inspired by the Italian way of life. You can see the motifs in the designs of the evening gowns and everything is quite grand and extra,” she said.
Rebecca Vallance at the relaunch of her eponymous brand at Harrods.
Courtesy of Hoda Davaine/Dave Benett
The brand is launching its seventh boutique in Australia on Thursday with three more stores in the works to be opened in New York, Miami and London.
“We are planning to double the size of our store footprint across the next two years, including exploring the international locations,” said Vallance.
The brand’s rapid growth can be attributed to its robust business.
“The brand is a global multichannel retailer, which has experienced exponential growth of 120 percent over the last two years, with 60 percent of sales coming from international markets; 55 percent of revenue comes from our [direct-to-consumer] businesses, which is split equally between retail stores and our online channel,” said the designer.
“We are continuing to drive our growth through investment in our [direct-to-consumer] business. Retail stores are forecasted to grow at over 50 percent again this year, a rate exceeding pre-COVID[-19] growth,” she added.
Launched in 2011, the brand has grown from festive occasion wear to include the ready-to-wear, suiting, swim, resort, jewelry, bridal and children’s categories.
Earlier this year, the label partnered with Qantas airways to create a business class pajama and amenity kit on select flights.
