How Two Designers Built A Celebrity-Favorite Fashion Brand With Zero Capital Raised

Forbes

An LVMH Prize 2023 finalist, Paolina Russo is a London-based fashion brand founded by Paolina Russo and Lucile Guilmard. The knitwear brand is influenced by Russo's suburban upbringing in Canada, and Guilmard's French folklore references. In 2020, Russo struck a deal to sell her thesis collection of knitwear at the Montreal-based luxury retailer Ssense and inked a deal with Adidas to design a collection for Adidas Originals, as well as Olympic-themed pieces timed to the Tokyo Games. In November 2023, Russo partnered with digital fashion platform Sknups to translate three key looks of its fall 2023 collection for Roblox. This year, the pair landed a deal with Nordstrom, which will stock the brand's pieces as of this month. Celebrities like Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Caroline Polachek, FKA Twigs, Kylie Jenner and Phoebe Bridgers have been spotted wearing their designs.  Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2024/europe/art-culture  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:03 This year's 30 Under 30 Europe list

00:05 features 300 founders and entrepreneurs

00:08 that have raised more than $1 billion

00:10 for companies that are reinventing

00:12 the European entrepreneurial landscape.

00:14 We traveled to London to meet a number of the honorees,

00:18 including Paulina and Lucille, the co-founders of clothing

00:21 brand Paulina Russo.

00:23 Their pieces have been worn by Megan Thee Stallion, Rihanna,

00:26 and more.

00:27 What makes Paulina and Lucille interesting to me

00:29 is their multi-pronged approach to fashion and multiple

00:32 business streams.

00:33 They aren't just creating clothes.

00:35 They're thinking about the future of fashion,

00:37 making digital garments for platforms

00:38 like Roblox and others, all while creating

00:41 avant-garde physical pieces.

00:43 The way that we develop our collections

00:53 is we always start in the factory.

00:58 In terms of the pieces, it's really

01:00 focused on how to innovate those crafts

01:03 and put them into a modern context.

01:05 So for example, these pieces are our signature.

01:09 They're called illusion knitting.

01:11 It has this lenticular effect where images appear and

01:13 disappear as the garment moves.

01:16 And that was inspired by a hand-knitting technique.

01:19 It was super beautiful.

01:20 We were like, how do we take this and make it more detailed?

01:24 How do we industrialize it?

01:26 And that's always a challenge every season, finding new crafts

01:29 to partner with some sort of technology

01:31 and find new ways to do it.

01:34 Our brand really revolves around three pillars

01:40 that are extremely important for us and makes us different.

01:44 Those pillars are sustainability, people,

01:46 and craft.

01:49 We work so closely with our manufacturers

01:51 to come up with solutions to make our garments last

01:54 on the long term and creating clothes that

01:57 will last in someone's wardrobe and eventually be passed down.

02:00 The people who help us developing ideas around us

02:06 are a huge part of the creative process, the way we work.

02:09 Everybody from the person who makes

02:11 to the person who's wearing the clothes,

02:13 everybody has an input with us.

02:15 And we really bring this community along.

02:16 Craft can mean so many things.

02:22 And I think something special about us

02:24 is that we really want to elevate local craft because

02:26 of where we're from, being the suburbs of Toronto in Canada

02:30 for Paulina and the countryside west coast of France for me.

02:35 What we grew up with was local craft.

02:38 You know what your neighbors kind of like paints

02:41 on their table for family dinners?

02:42 You know, that's a craft.

02:43 All those crafts that makes you really

02:45 feel connected on a very secret level almost

02:49 is really what we cherish.

02:50 And we really want to highlight.

02:53 We have three pricing points in our range.

02:58 We have things that are more entry price points.

03:00 So they'll range between like 80 pounds to 220 pounds.

03:05 That's just like easier things to get.

03:07 Like it'll be our Lycra or swimwear or some

03:10 of our knitted accessories.

03:12 And then we have a more like wider middle range

03:15 of things that are between like 220 and like 600

03:19 that are the creative knit pieces.

03:21 For example, like our knitted corset pieces.

03:23 These are our best sellers.

03:25 They're like this mixture between something

03:27 that looks very, you know, like of course is very restricted,

03:30 but actually it's extremely comfy.

03:33 And then we have things that are more like artisan.

03:36 And that's between like 600 to 1,000.

03:39 But we really make sure that we kind of never

03:42 go over 1,000 pounds.

03:44 You know, if you're like a student and you love the brand

03:46 or you're a fan, you could get something and still

03:49 be a part of the world.

03:50 We have had issues with complete copycats of the clothes.

03:55 We had no idea, but we started getting emails

03:58 from like people who follow the brand.

04:00 But like they saw our pieces like being replicated

04:03 in a store in China.

04:04 And there's only so much you can do with things like that.

04:07 Like if someone does that, like you can report it.

04:10 But we're not also in the position to like see someone.

04:15 And in a way, it's very flattering.

04:17 You're like, oh, thank you so much.

04:18 You like the work so much that you would want to do the same.

04:21 That's we really appreciate.

04:24 Personally for us, we have so many products

04:26 that we're continuing to put out there

04:29 that like it doesn't like stifle our creativity

04:32 or stifle what we're doing.

04:34 Yeah, and also in like total honesty,

04:36 there's like some techniques that are really core to us

04:39 that are really hard to replicate.

04:41 A copy can exist, but the original is really kind of

04:44 like a copy of the original.

04:45 The original is really kind of like you can recognize it.

04:49 ♪

04:55 Lucille and I met when we were studying

04:59 at Central Saint Martins.

05:01 I was studying fashion design with a specialism in knitwear

05:03 and Lucille was studying fashion design

05:05 with a specialism in womenswear.

05:08 After both of us graduated from Central Saint Martins,

05:11 we were both looking for studios.

05:12 We both knew this woman called Olya who runs One Granary,

05:17 which is a fashion magazine/support system

05:20 for emerging designers and students.

05:23 And she put us in contact with each other like,

05:25 "Hey, you guys should share a studio."

05:27 And that's where we properly met.

05:29 ♪

05:31 We were in the same space for like two, three months,

05:34 really observing what she does,

05:35 all the people working with her, her team.

05:38 But I was working on my own things.

05:39 I was in one corner doing my thing

05:41 and she was in the other corner doing her thing.

05:43 And I think we always were kind of looking at each other like,

05:45 "I really like what she's doing.

05:47 Like, this is really interesting."

05:48 ♪

05:50 And then one day I remember not being able to sleep

05:52 and thinking like, "I don't know how to really express this,

05:55 but I know that we should work together."

05:58 I just had this epiphany.

06:00 I woke up being like, "I feel like if we work together,

06:04 we could take over the world."

06:05 But how do you tell someone that?

06:08 So I came in that day acting really weird.

06:10 I didn't know how to bring it up.

06:12 She was acting extremely weird.

06:14 Instead of doing my work, I was cleaning and stuff.

06:16 So I'm like, "Why is she cleaning the studio?

06:18 Something is going on."

06:20 I'm just going to step right in.

06:22 "Hey, have you ever thought of kind of like expanding

06:25 and doing this with someone?"

06:27 And she straight up got it.

06:28 She was like, "Yeah, do you want to do this with me?"

06:30 I'm like, "Yeah, cool. Nice."

06:32 It was just this true like synergy type of moment

06:35 where we were both thinking the same thing,

06:37 but we didn't realize.

06:38 And so she spoke it into reality.

06:40 And then I was like, "Yeah, let's do it."

06:42 When we decided to work on the brand together,

06:47 the brand had already started.

06:48 I started on my own.

06:49 I was like a poor student.

06:52 I didn't have any money to start a label.

06:54 And actually when I was in school,

06:56 I had no intentions of starting a business.

06:58 I didn't know what I was going to do after school.

07:00 But when I was on my BA at Central Saint Martins,

07:03 my final collection that I presented

07:05 won the L'Oreal Prize for creative talent.

07:09 And there was prize money,

07:11 but also it was like huge press

07:13 for the work that I was doing.

07:15 Like the work went on to then

07:17 be on the cover of "Dazed" magazine.

07:19 I had this corset that I'd made out of sneakers

07:23 that I used to wear when I was growing up in Canada.

07:27 And I had crocheted them together

07:29 to create this sneaker corset.

07:30 And that was worn on the cover of "Dazed" by Solange Knowles.

07:33 So there was a lot of this like press coming in

07:35 and prizes.

07:37 And when I went on to study on my master's

07:39 and I did that all through scholarships

07:41 from the British Fashion Council.

07:43 I got contacted by Adidas

07:45 and they wanted to do a collaboration

07:47 between me and them.

07:49 And at that point I didn't have a brand.

07:50 So I was like, okay, so I guess I'm starting a brand

07:53 and this brand is gonna collaborate with Adidas.

07:56 And from the money that I received from that collaboration,

07:59 that was the initial capital to start the business.

08:02 (soft music)

08:05 So loads of people call me Alex.

08:09 My full name is Paulina Alexandra Russo.

08:11 So for me, like Paulina Russo is its own entity.

08:15 Like we are Paulina Russo.

08:16 - I mean, I like how you can see like this one

08:30 and those two points quite clearly.

08:32 - This is working.

08:32 - This is more hairy, but not as like napkinny as before.

08:36 - Napkin out.

08:38 I also think that we should try to find a way

08:41 to like have this.

08:43 Yeah.

08:44 - I think the color would be really nice.

08:46 - Then it would be really nice.

08:47 Yeah, definitely.

08:48 I love the way it draws those lines.

08:50 It's very like, it has such a texture.

08:53 I mean, this draws nicely with the body, the graphic.

08:59 - Our first ever like clients were Essence

09:03 who are also Canadian.

09:04 And then we went on to like expand our like clients

09:09 of like wholesale and retailers that we were working with.

09:13 We got picked up by Dover Sheet Market in London.

09:16 And then we got contacted by a company called Skin Ups

09:19 in London who connect fashion with gaming.

09:23 And that's how we began our collaboration through Roblox,

09:27 bringing Paulina Russo into Roblox.

09:30 - I mean, there's many different ways

09:35 that capital can come in, right?

09:37 That's another like revenue stream to explore

09:40 because it's a whole new community.

09:41 It's people who are interested in fashion,

09:43 but wouldn't necessarily wear it the way that we do

09:46 in the streets, but they would wear it even more

09:48 in like the world that they create online.

09:51 So there's like many different ways like this

09:53 that forms the capital that we have

09:55 that permits us to develop and exist.

09:58 - There's this alternative revenue

10:00 that we wanted to explore.

10:02 And it's something that we're gonna continue

10:03 to explore with the brand.

10:05 And then from there, after that sales season,

10:09 we did our first show during Copenhagen Fashion Week

10:13 because we won the Zalando Visionary Award,

10:16 which is an award that champions brands

10:19 that really look after sustainability,

10:21 community and collaboration, as well as creativity.

10:26 And from that show, we got to meet Nordstrom

10:29 and they were really, apparently, I mean,

10:31 they said to us that they'd been watching the brand

10:33 for a while.

10:34 And after that show, they decided to work with us

10:37 and stock our clothes.

10:39 - Paulina and Lucille were on our radar

10:44 because when we took a look at their collection,

10:46 it looked unique and like something really special.

10:49 We were really validated in our enthusiasm for the brand

10:52 after wrapping up Copenhagen Fashion Week

10:54 and seeing the energy of the show and the clothes in person.

10:58 The purpose of kind of this concept shop

11:02 is to be a place of discovery and inspiration

11:05 and inclusivity.

11:06 So we very often work with young designers

11:09 who are newer and emerging.

11:11 And then we love being the platform for Paulina and Lucille

11:14 as they kind of strategically grow their business as well.

11:17 They really practice what they preach,

11:18 like they are living and breathing

11:20 this positive impact fashion.

11:22 And I think that really resonates with our customers.

11:25 So we will continue this partnership

11:27 and we're looking forward to kind of renew

11:28 the inventory season over season.

11:30 - In terms of financial, we are completely independent

11:42 and that's something that's really important for us.

11:44 We run our own showroom, for example, even press.

11:47 We do everything in the house.

11:49 It's extremely hard for us.

11:51 It's like we understand and we're learning as it goes,

11:56 but financially being an emerging designer

11:57 faces a lot of difficulties in the sense that like

12:01 budget is really complicated to go around

12:03 and we need a lot of support.

12:04 But we understand that if we didn't have

12:06 that system of support, it would be even harder.

12:09 - We have done two shows now on Copenhagen Fashion Week.

12:14 And the first time we did it is the first time

12:16 we've ever done anything like that.

12:18 There were so many people involved.

12:19 You can't imagine like at least like a hundred people.

12:23 And also with the clothes, there's at least a hundred

12:25 people behind the clothes, 'cause it's not just us.

12:27 It was our collaborators, our manufacturers,

12:30 all the people who work at the factory

12:32 all worked on this together.

12:34 - Designing a collection for a lookbook

12:38 and a storytelling and stores is one thing.

12:40 Designing a collection with the aim of showing it

12:43 down the runway for the first time

12:46 is another story.

12:47 - From Copenhagen, we met some people from the Federation

12:52 for Paris Fashion Week.

12:53 - We are going to Paris actually today

12:58 because we are part of the showroom called Sphere.

13:01 It's a showroom organized by

13:03 La Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.

13:05 It is a group showroom.

13:06 So we are part of a group, six designers.

13:11 So we're gonna have the opportunity to talk a lot

13:14 about what we do to new people again.

13:16 - We've had many meetings and we are really putting out

13:22 the intentions and feelers to take the brand

13:25 internationally and do a show in a different country.

13:28 So it's so amazing to do the show in a place like Korea

13:32 or even go to Canada or something,

13:35 like to bring the work somewhere where we also

13:38 connect with the community there.

13:41 It's a dream.

13:43 (upbeat music)

13:46 - We have been in situations before where like our age

13:49 has hindered us, but I think in for the better

13:51 because we are really young and we are starting out

13:55 in a business like with age also comes experience

13:59 and knowledge and time and mistakes.

14:01 So we have been in situations where they're like,

14:03 oh, like, you know, we really love you for this job.

14:06 We really love you for this thing,

14:08 but it's two years too soon.

14:09 Or like, you're a little bit too young now,

14:11 but like in two years, yes.

14:13 And actually like really appreciate that sort of feedback

14:15 because like, we also believe the same.

14:17 I am way smarter and way better at my job now

14:21 than I was two years ago or five years ago.

14:24 So I hope that in like two to five years again,

14:27 that like I grow and we grow as like a brand.

14:30 I would say like the biggest hurdle that we faced

14:35 was really in the beginning,

14:36 because when the brand started,

14:39 we had just come from doing this collaboration with Adidas.

14:42 So there was already a perception about the brand

14:43 that we were really established.

14:45 We are like freshly students and starting a brand

14:49 and starting a business.

14:51 So yeah, really trying to like explain to people

14:53 in the beginning, like, no, we're just starting.

14:55 This is just the beginning.

14:57 I think when you're a young entrepreneur,

15:01 it takes a lot more convincing for people

15:05 like to take you seriously or to think that you're serious

15:07 about the work that you're doing.

15:09 There's also like the sense of like resilience, you know,

15:12 I actually think we're like extremely resilient people

15:15 and we work really hard

15:16 and I have seen it surprise people a lot around us.

15:19 So it'd be like, it's a bit of a myth, you know,

15:22 we're just like, oh, that generation

15:23 or like that kind of work doesn't go

15:26 with those kinds of like qualities in people.

15:28 But I think we're proving that wrong.

15:31 (upbeat music)

15:33 - In 2023, we found out that we were nominated

15:43 for the LVMH Prize.

15:45 In the final round, you have to present your brand

15:47 in front of the creative directors of LVMH.

15:50 So that's Marc Jacobs and like Nicola Ghesquière,

15:53 Kim Jones and Bernard Arnault.

15:56 So it's pretty intimidating

15:58 and you only have five minutes to pitch your brand.

16:01 - In terms of opportunity, being an emerging brand

16:05 associated to the LVMH Prize is incredibly valuable

16:08 to like the industry,

16:10 which really helped us developing and reaching out

16:14 to even more people and expand on what we wanna do

16:17 on a designing level, on a press level,

16:19 on all those kinds of angles that you need

16:22 as an emerging brand.

16:24 - A lot of people who know about us now,

16:25 I think they found us through the LVMH Prize.

16:28 A lot of celebrities who wear the clothes,

16:31 either they buy the clothes and we don't even know about it.

16:35 And we just find out because someone tags us

16:38 on social media wearing Paulina Russo.

16:40 For example, when New Jeans, this Korean pop group,

16:45 wore our clothes for their very first music video,

16:47 we had no clue.

16:49 We saw it actually in the music video

16:52 and they have gone on to wear more pieces.

16:55 When it comes to like other celebrities, we do loans.

16:58 So we'll loan pieces or we'll make custom pieces for them.

17:01 We worked with Doja Cat for her Scarlet tour

17:05 and she wore a lot of the Lycra,

17:07 these like iconic Lycra pieces

17:09 from her fall/winter '23 collection.

17:11 - This year over Christmas, we received a notification

17:16 that we've been tagged on a picture.

17:17 We opened the picture and Rosalia is wearing one of our top.

17:21 That was best Christmas present.

17:24 - At the moment we work with about nine retailers

17:27 around the world.

17:28 And so their customer base is endless.

17:32 But for us, we can only really interact with people

17:36 like online or who we've met in stores before.

17:40 That's the point of us starting e-coms

17:41 is that we want to have a more direct connection

17:43 with our community that's outside of just social media.

17:46 - We're scaling up in terms of production,

17:50 which can be challenging for us

17:51 because obviously we are at the beginning of what we do

17:55 and what our partnerships are like building up.

17:58 So as we're expanding,

17:59 we also need to sort of like work around quantities,

18:02 which can be really challenging for designers

18:06 because manufacturers, they have minimum orders quantity.

18:10 But we're very lucky

18:11 because we work with them extremely closely.

18:14 Then we are able to come up to agreements

18:17 and really work around those difficulties.

18:19 What would it take for us to sell the brand?

18:21 I don't even know.

18:22 What we're building is so like precious, important.

18:25 And so like for the long run,

18:27 selling it is absolutely not the goal.

18:30 Growing the team and having people come in

18:32 and really like work with us is definitely a yes.

18:35 Just in terms of like selling it

18:36 and leaving it to others, it's a no.

18:39 (upbeat music)

18:42 (laughing)

18:45 (bell ringing)

18:47 (upbeat music)

18:50 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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