ABOUT THE BRAND
Learn about the story behind RILEY & MONICA, our values and the intention that shapes each piece.
Our Story
Established by Lea Carleen, RILEY & MONICA was born from a simple desire: clothing that's intentional, timeless in design and made with a better impact.
It is a non-seasonal, slow, handmade to order brand - consciously designed and produced in Lea's London Studio.
The aim for the brand is to waive the reoccurrence of how its clothing is produced, focus on curating classic staples that are worn beyond a season and align with a more kinder approach in doing so.
Carefully Curated
Each piece is intentionally curated by Lea with an everyday wardrobe at the forefront. Our focus is on creating clothes to reflect the changing seasons and not fleeting trends. Clothes you can build a capsule of essential items with or mix and match to complement existing ones. We believe every wardrobe tells a story and have designed a range of pieces for anyone to create their very own, for now and years to come.
Being size inclusive is also a vital point when curating and designing our garments ensuring, an effort is made to cater to a wider range of bodies. All of our styles currently range from a size 6-24 UK.
Sustainably Sourced
At RILEY & MONICA, we have a strong focus on conscious practices from start to finish. We offer a slower, friendly alternative to fast-fashion using responsibly sourced natural fabrics that are of high quality and derive from low-impact and/or eco-friendly crops. This ensures that our clothes are not only doing all the good things like minimising our environmental impact but also each and every fabric, trim is fit for its purpose.
Whilst we do take the time to carefully source elements of each garment, as we grow we will always work on ways in which we can improve on this.
Mindfully Made
Currently, all of our pieces are designed, cut and sewn by our very own founder Lea, in her London based studio. We do not mass produce any of our garments and all orders we receive, are made-to-order specifically for each and every customer, ensuring our production is controlled and we are doing our best to eliminate any unwanted stock and unnecessary waste.
Words from The Founder.
The idea of a clothing brand first came to me in 2014. It wasn't actually until 4 years later, that the vision for the brand as I know it began. By this time, I still didn't really have the name or the real ins and outs finalised but there was always one main thing that I remained certain of...
As years went by and having worked in, studied and gained a Degree in Fashion, the one thing that I did know was; I didn't just want to create a clothing brand that added to the state of today's fast fashion industry.
I wanted to build a brand with purpose and mindful intentions. Clothes that are made to be worn, loved and lived in. It's been a journey back to the basics of clothing: quality, longevity, simplicity. In a world moving so fast, I wanted to create my own space for slow fashion - a brand rooted in an intentional foundation with a sustainable approach and stands tall for less noise, more meaning.