Fashion’s red-carpet darlings Ralph & Russo eye global expansion with ready-to-wear after shaking up haute couture

Fresh from the spotlight at Cannes, the rising stars of the haute couture world, Ralph & Russo, will be in Paris next week alongside big names such as Chanel and Dior showcasing their tailoring and gala gowns for autumn and winter.

The British brand scooped some stellar red carpet coverage during last month’s 70th Cannes Film Festival, including dressing singer Rihanna in a custom-designed couture gown for the Chopard dinner; actress Fan Bingbing (several times) who was on the jury; and models Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, who wore an “illusion” dress for an Aids fundraiser that was daringly transparent.

In the elegantly cool grey décor of their couture house in London’s Mayfair, brand co-founder Michael Russo explains how important the film festival has become. “It is one of the key events for us every year and very fitting with the ethos of our brand. It has the glamour of the south of France and the biggest red carpet.”

Dressing Rihanna was a thrill. “She got in touch and requested a custom piece and we worked on it together,” says Tamara Ralph – like Russo an Australian – the designer of the dress and all the couture fashion and accessories that bear the Ralph & Russo name.

The couple are not just partners in business, but life partners, having literally bumped into each other in Knightsbridge in London in 2003, a few hours after Ralph got off a plane from Sydney.