Fashion CEO Julia Reynolds launches new label Rey House
Julia Reynolds, a seasoned fashion CEO whose career includes stints heading up Figleaves, Blacks Leisure and F&F at Tesco, has launched her own brand, Rey House, targeting the Gen X woman.
Reynolds said the brand was born out of her frustration, and that of her contemporaries, at finding well-fitting, fashionable clothes for the 45-plus woman.
Rey House aims to fill a "forgotten gap" in the market with a curated edit of affordable, sustainable and timeless styles with a comfortable and 'age-affirming fit'.
"When worrying about what to wear for various occasions, I realised that I always turned to the same, older items from my wardrobe,” she explained.
“These were the pieces that I trusted, fitted me well and were made beautifully – but I had been wearing them for what felt like forever. Yes, the styles were ageless in design and ageless in terms of who could wear them, but I felt the need for something new and I struggled to find great-looking clothes aimed specifically at my age group.
“Talking with friends and colleagues it became apparent that they felt exactly the same. When I heard more about what women of my generation wanted and needed from fashion and how it couldn’t be found, I decided I should make it happen myself,” Reynolds added.
The Rey House line, which is now available online, features a range of tops, knits, jerseys and trousers priced from £65 to £125.
Together with Zoe Ellis, former Head of Buying at Figleaves.com and Senior buyer at Tesco, Reynolds studied research from the fashion industry that pin-pointed the market gap. “The women’s UK clothing market is worth £23.3bn,” Reynolds said. “Yet while those over 45 make up more than 38% of adult clothing spend and the over 50s expected to be the sectors’ key consumers by 2040, there is still a clear gap for well-designed, quality clothing for them. It’s as if the market forgets that when women reach a certain age, they still long to look and feel great in what they wear.
“With Rey House, we aim to be the destination of choice for mid-age customers who can say ‘This is for me and I feel happy here’. I have brought together a team of well-regarded industry experts, all highly skilled and passionate about creating versatile clothing that women will want to wear time and again. We recognise they want an alternative to hunting through young fashion rails and to move away from mass-produced, poor-quality throw-away clothing.”
Before launching the brand Reynolds and Ellis conducted a survey of 250 Gen X women to explore their body shapes. As a result they were able to identify seven key 'diamond' shapes and create the collection accordingly.
“It’s inevitable that women’s physiques changes with age,” said Ellis. “What fitted in your 20s does not fit you in your 50s, and we found many women in mid-age lacked confidence in their body image because they struggled to find clothes that suited them or they felt good wearing. By creating our own patterns with in-house pattern cutting and expertise, combined with customer feedback, we aim to ensure our products fit well and look great.”
Julia Reynolds' career in fashion spans 35 years. She began her career at the Arcadia Group and Mackays before moving to Tesco, where she was one the key founders of the Florence + Fred brand in 1999. She also helped launch the supermarket fashion line overseas in Central Europe and Asia.
Other highlights include being appointed CEO of lingerie giant Figleaves.com; taking Blacks Leisure through a sale process as CEO, and being at the helm of consumer brand Antler Luggage.
Zoe Ellis has worked in fashion for 20 years in roles across buying, design and global sourcing for a number of major names, most notably Boden, River Island, Florence + Fred and Figleaves.com.
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Fashion CEO Julia Reynolds launches new label Rey House
LAURETTA ROBERTS
31 AUGUST 2022
Julia Reynolds, a seasoned fashion CEO whose career includes stints heading up Figleaves, Blacks Leisure and F&F at Tesco, has launched her own brand, Rey House, targeting the Gen X woman.
Reynolds said the brand was born out of her frustration, and that of her contemporaries, at finding well-fitting, fashionable clothes for the 45-plus woman.
Rey House aims to fill a "forgotten gap" in the market with a curated edit of affordable, sustainable and timeless styles with a comfortable and 'age-affirming fit'.
"When worrying about what to wear for various occasions, I realised that I always turned to the same, older items from my wardrobe,” she explained.
“These were the pieces that I trusted, fitted me well and were made beautifully – but I had been wearing them for what felt like forever. Yes, the styles were ageless in design and ageless in terms of who could wear them, but I felt the need for something new and I struggled to find great-looking clothes aimed specifically at my age group.
“Talking with friends and colleagues it became apparent that they felt exactly the same. When I heard more about what women of my generation wanted and needed from fashion and how it couldn’t be found, I decided I should make it happen myself,” Reynolds added.
Rey House
The Rey House line, which is now available online, features a range of tops, knits, jerseys and trousers priced from £65 to £125.
Together with Zoe Ellis, former Head of Buying at Figleaves.com and Senior buyer at Tesco, Reynolds studied research from the fashion industry that pin-pointed the market gap. “The women’s UK clothing market is worth £23.3bn,” Reynolds said. “Yet while those over 45 make up more than 38% of adult clothing spend and the over 50s expected to be the sectors’ key consumers by 2040, there is still a clear gap for well-designed, quality clothing for them. It’s as if the market forgets that when women reach a certain age, they still long to look and feel great in what they wear.
“With Rey House, we aim to be the destination of choice for mid-age customers who can say ‘This is for me and I feel happy here’. I have brought together a team of well-regarded industry experts, all highly skilled and passionate about creating versatile clothing that women will want to wear time and again. We recognise they want an alternative to hunting through young fashion rails and to move away from mass-produced, poor-quality throw-away clothing.”
Rey House
Before launching the brand Reynolds and Ellis conducted a survey of 250 Gen X women to explore their body shapes. As a result they were able to identify seven key 'diamond' shapes and create the collection accordingly.
“It’s inevitable that women’s physiques changes with age,” said Ellis. “What fitted in your 20s does not fit you in your 50s, and we found many women in mid-age lacked confidence in their body image because they struggled to find clothes that suited them or they felt good wearing. By creating our own patterns with in-house pattern cutting and expertise, combined with customer feedback, we aim to ensure our products fit well and look great.”
Julia Reynolds' career in fashion spans 35 years. She began her career at the Arcadia Group and Mackays before moving to Tesco, where she was one the key founders of the Florence + Fred brand in 1999. She also helped launch the supermarket fashion line overseas in Central Europe and Asia.
Other highlights include being appointed CEO of lingerie giant Figleaves.com; taking Blacks Leisure through a sale process as CEO, and being at the helm of consumer brand Antler Luggage.
Zoe Ellis has worked in fashion for 20 years in roles across buying, design and global sourcing for a number of major names, most notably Boden, River Island, Florence + Fred and Figleaves.com.
