Kate Middleton’s fave brand Reiss is here

It’s been heavily documented how Kate Middleton loves British high street retailer Reiss. There is an entire article somewhere in the web on the Duchess’ collection of Reiss coats, which she wears to every occasion, from hospice visits to strolls in St. George park with Prince William. She even wore a Reiss Nanette dress in one of her engagement photos.

The brand, already on its 44th year, remains suited for those who prefer classic cuts, and now it has four stores in the Philippines on top of the 115 it already has worldwide. Although Middleton is partly responsibly for the spike in interest in the brand, it is unlikely that she did it all by herself. She is, after all, an unoffical ambassador — only showing off what the Reiss has going for itself in terms of design, quality, and knowledge of what the market wants.

Grown-up and ladylike are what I would use to describe Reiss’ autumn collection, which is currently displayed in stores. Some pieces include a polished, elegant version of the jumpsuit, like something Emma Watson would wear to a UN event; several jackets and tops that any city girl would like. “Iconic, directional and modern” is how Reiss itself describes its clothing. It has even launched made-to-measure suits for mean and women.

David Reiss, son of a city tailor, presides over the brand. “I have a very sharp eye. If I see something I like then I can immediately see the bigger picture and how a singular element can slot in. That’s been my whole philosophy and the way I run my business,” he says. “The people I have around me have all got to have that sharpness and alertness and a certain level of decisiveness that will make things happen.”

Fashion served straight, no chaser

Reiss’ autumn/winter collection sees the return to fluid femininity — two words we have come to love of late. Together, they make for a one fashionable force. This season, Reiss introduces a Premium collection, which is a curated series that offers treasured pieces where fabrication, fit and craftsmanship are combined to create clothes with effortless, timeless style.

With a nod to masculine construction, tailoring takes center stage with “Straight, No Chaser.” “This is Tomorrow” is a muted palette inspired by artist Ben Nicholson’s work. Clean lines and absence of ornaments meets military detailing — it all results in precision dressing. “In a Silent Way” draws inspiration from musis Charlotte Rampling, Romy Schneider and Charlotte Gainsbourg and uses romantic tones of color.

“Nineteen Seventy-one” provides a youthful element to the collection in selected stores. Pieces are linear, fun and carefree — for any lady who sometimes likes to dress like her alterego (which means, all of us).

Anton Huang of Stores Specialists Inc., says, “The market is seeing an increasing internationationalization and sophistication in the consumer base today. You’re seeing a great mix of brands, retail concepts and merchandise now available to the Filipino consumer, and it’s really cultivating this great sense of consumption. We’re riding that trend and doing so quite successfully. We always keep our eyes open and our ears on the ground in terms of what the latest trends are out there in different markets. We’ve always made it our mission to bring the best of the world to the Philippines. British fashion is part and parcel of that. We’ve worked with British brands for many years now and have been very successful with them in the Philippine market. Reiss is another one of those modern, global British brands that have been around for quite some time, worn by people like Kate Middleton and the like. When they approached us looking for opportunities in this part of the world, we were very excited to work with them. Over the past couple of months, we’ve opened five branches in total very quickly. So far, the reception for the brand has been very positive.”

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Reiss is exclusively distributed by SSI Group, Inc. and is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street, Greenbelt 5, Rustan’s Makati and Shangri-La Plaza. For information, visit www.ssilife.com.ph.