- Rallier fashion line inspired by Emma
After spending much of her twenties working at luxury fashion institutions including Prada, Cartier, and Alberta Ferretti, today Olivia Fay is striking out on her own. But the launch of the 28-year-old’s first collection is about so much more than great fashion (though it is certainly that). Rallier is about empowering women everywhere—most importantly, the 62 million young girls around the world who are not in school.
When Olivia first saw the documentary Girl Rising three years ago, she was stunned by the sheer volume of young women denied access to education. But what was a Public Relations Coordinator at Belstaff to do? Her research brought her to a Kenya-based study which found that giving school uniforms to students who did not previously own one reduced school absenteeism by 64%. That gave Olivia an idea.
Today, that idea comes to fruition in Rallier’s first collection—a stunning line of uniform- and menswear-inspired dresses. Most importantly, Rallier’s sales cover the cost of materials and labor for production of the uniforms through a Kenyan-based women’s empowerment program. Uniforms are made in Kibera, a region of Kenya in which 43% of girls are likely to be out of school. I spoke with this rising star about the intersection of fashion and social responsibility, what inspires her, and how the rest of us can help.
Who are some of your personal fashion heroes and what were their influence as you set out to design this collection?
OF: In terms of public figures, Emma Watson is the person I think of the most when designing the line. She embodies so much of what Rallier stands for. We keep her UN Women HeForShe campaign speech bookmarked for days when we need a little extra push.
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