For fashion’s busiest retail buyers, there’s one fashion week market appointment that can’t be missed: RIC. Founded by Rachel Iwaniec, who got her start at Khaite before launching her own wholesale agency a little over five years ago, RIC’s roster is a who’s who of emerging labels ripe for discovery. Savette, Kallmeyer, Colleen Allen, Skall Studio, Rùadh, B Sides, and Valesque are just a few of the ten-plus names she’s helping establish a lasting presence for.
A scout and custodian of fresh talent, Iwaniec’s sixth sense for sellable product has cemented her as a trusted eye in the industry. Strong instincts and an emotional response are what drive her: “I have to have an immediate reaction,” Iwaniec says. “Either it’s something I’ve never seen before, or it’s something [I recognize] as a huge opportunity for a brand going forward.”
Such was the case when she first visited the studio of New York designer Colleen Allen, who debuted her namesake label in February 2024.
“The colors were just so emotionally captivating. I’d never seen so many references,” she says. (Allen designed Vogue US’s head of editorial content Chloe Malle’s Met Gala dress this year.)
Iwaniec’s ability to intuit demand has allowed her to cultivate a soft power that she wields in favor of the designers she represents. “The RIC showroom is a highlight every season,” says Net-a-Porter buying manager Lydia Zacharis, who’s worked closely with Iwaniec, from her Khaite days to the early stages of RIC, when she first introduced the buying team to Savette.
In the years since, Net-a-Porter’s signed over
In the years since, Net-a-Porter’s signed over a half a dozen RIC-repped labels, including Kallmeyer and Colleen Allen, who are both part of its Vanguard mentorship program, plus Rùadh, B Sides, Skall Studio, and soon Kartik Research. Her “innate understanding of how distribution shapes a brand’s identity” is what founders like Amy Zurek, of Savette, find so valuable. “Rachel’s contribution went far beyond opening doors,” says Zurek, who’s known Iwaniec for over a decade (and well before they began working together in 2019).
“She was deeply strategic about where we should, and just as importantly, shouldn’t, be sold. From the beginning, she helped us build the business with intention and discipline. That long-term perspective has been every bit as valuable as the retailer relationships themselves.”
Iwaniec gets it done with the help of a small but mighty team of four who are based between London and New York.
She splits her own time between the East Coast and Paris, where she recently signed a lease for a permanent showroom address in the 10th arrondissement; the space will house both new and longtime clients, including Ceecee footwear, Joswick’s reworked vintage, and Wendy Win eyewear—three names you should invest in now before they inevitably get scooped up. “Rachel is one of the few people in this industry whose point of view I trust implicitly,” says Courtney Grant, SVP of buying at Elysewalker.
She’s genuinely cool—not because she’s trying to be,
“She’s genuinely cool—not because she’s trying to be, but because she has complete confidence in her own perspective.”
It certainly helps that she loves wearing her own brands—and doesn’t take no for an answer. “If I’m not excited to wear it, I’m not excited to sell it,” Iwaniec says. One of her favorite parts of the job? Convincing a buyer who says a brand isn’t for them, actually is.
It can take a season, a year, or three before they come around—but as long as it’s up to her, chances are they will. “She never tells people what they want to hear—she tells them what she believes,” adds Zurek. “That kind of honesty is rare in fashion, and people recognize it.”
Source: www.vogue.com
