Redemption acquires stake in Ryan Roche

Luxury ready-to-wear label Redemption has acquired a stake in New York fashion brand Ryan Roche. Gabriele 'Bebe' Moratti, the Italian brand's majority shareholder, has indeed announced in a press release the acquisition of 49% of Ryan Roche through his Stella Inc. holding company, without revealing the amount of the transaction.

Ryan Roche, 38 and a mother of three, began by making clothes for children using biological fabrics, such as cashmere knitwear manufactured by a Nepalese women's cooperative. Success came when she opened a store in Williamsburg, one of New York's fashionable neighbourhoods. The store was soon flooded with a swarm of celebrity customers.

Sustained demand by her customer-mums pushed Roche into launching a women's apparel line featuring a sophisticated, minimalist style, consisting of ultra-soft knitwear in a range of natural colours.

Recently, the designer was selected to take part in a programme promoted by the Milano Unica trade show and the CFDA, allowing her to travel to Italy to get to know local fabric manufacturers.

Since starting out, Ryan Roche has advocated responsible and sustainable manufacturing. Her brand is produced in the USA, and she has also been working for 10 years with the same Nepalese women's cooperative. Ryan Roche is currently distributed through the fashion world's most prestigious stores, as well as through 60 dealers.

Given the designer's ethical approach, she is inevitably getting on well with her new shareholder. Redemption too is in fact highly active on the sustainability front, giving out 50% of its profit as donations.

The women's ready-to-wear line was created in March 2013, for the Autumn-Winter 2013/14 season, through the association of three friends and their passion for motorbikes, lead by Gabriele Moratti, heir to the wealthy Milanese Moratti family. Gabriele is the majority shareholder and Creative Director of the label, which showed outside the main calendar at the last Paris Fashion Week.

Ryan Roche has stated: "I'm happy for this significant landmark in my brand's evolution. With the support provided by the Redemption group's resources, and their ethical approach to manufacturing, I'll be able to focus on my company's expansion in a way that is fully compatible with my ethical vision."

Redemption acquires stake in Ryan Roche

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