Roland Mouret - Hiatus and Return To Fashion

Hiatus and Return To Fashion

After Mouret left his label, he took a two-year hiatus. He found a new backer in Simon Fuller and launched a comeback under the name RM by the designer Roland Mouret. (His previous backers had retained the rights to the Roland Mouret brand.) Under the new partnership, Mouret owns 50% of the business and is allowed creative freedom. Before the bona fide launch of his new line, Mouret undertook small design engagements to pique public interest. He partnered with Bergdorf Goodman for a one-time-only consignment in which he personally signed each of the 36 dresses. He escorted Jacquetta Wheeler to the Met Costume Institute ball; she wore a long version of the Bergdorf dress. Mouret also designed a limited-edition dress line for the Gap.

The launch of RM by the designer Roland Mouret was designed as a global interactive event. Its inaugural fashion show was held on July 4, 2007 in Paris and featured 21 "easy-chic", geometric dresses. The next day, the show was available on the internet, and consumers could pre-order the garments on a website. As Mouret explained to Vogue, " see shows the day after they happen. Why should they have to wait?" The collection was an enormous success, with some pieces selling out within hours.

Mouret bought back the rights to his own name on 9 September 2010, with plans to open his first standalone store, on Carlos Place opposite the Connaught in London by 2011. The new premises will include 2 floors of retails space for Mouret's womenswear, menswear, atelier, design workshops and sales showroom.