Celebrating International Women's Day!
Hello! My name is Rose and I am Head of Operations here at Rachel Riley, I am also Rachel's daughter!
Image: Rachel & Rose on a recent design trip
Having joined the company full-time a couple of years ago I work closely alongside Rachel to grow and expand our brand, its' so fun to see it flourish through our hardwork and determination!
As we celebrate International Woman's Day, find out more on why I find my mother such an inspiration!
1) I’m so proud of my mum for the company that she has created, which has grown so much since the start in 1996. From a mail order catalogue business, to having shops, to the current digital age, my mother has navigated each chapter of the business with resilience, positivity, and determination. I am so proud of the vision she had and the strong brand she has brought to life, she inspires everyone that she works with including me (even though she probably doesn’t realise!)
Image: Rachel, Rose and her brothers Felix and Alfred when they were small
2) My mum is a role model to every child that she interacts with, from our little models on our photoshoots to the children of her employees. She makes each child feel so special and has a bond with each of them. She is encouraging towards them and teaches them new things such as how the fruit and vegetables grow in her garden. All the kids love ‘Auntie Rachel’ and send her photos and drawings in the post to stay connected.
Image: Rachel, Daniel and Rose on our most recent photoshoot
3) We are lucky to work together now and have done so “full-time” since I joined the company 2 years ago. We spend a lot of time being creative together whether that is through designing new collections or on location on our photoshoots. We bounce-off each other’s ideas and have very different ways of thinking and approaching things which works well for brainstorming and problem solving too.
Image: Rachel, Rose and her brothers Felix and Alfred when they were small
4) My mum gets (most of) my jokes too so we try to have a laugh as much as possible. Work does have it’s challenges but we try to lighten the mood whenever we can! We are not immune to getting tired, snappy and short tempered but we get through it because we love what we do and we love each other.
Image: Rachel, Rose and her brothers Felix and Alfred when they were small
5) Funny experiences of having my mum as my boss? Asking my mum for a day off!
Image: Rachel, Rose and her brothers Felix and Alfred when they were small
Our favourite mother-and-daughter activities to do together outside of work are getting a manicure, travelling and we do like shopping together. My mum particularly loves vintage shopping, which is something I usually only get to do with her. She has tried to get me into gardening, but I am not so keen!
Image: Rachel, Rose and her brothers Felix and Alfred when they were small