How Two Designers Built A Celebrity-Favorite Fashion Brand With Zero Capital Raised

An LVMH Prize 2023 finalist, Paolina Russo is a London-based fashion brand founded by Paolina Russo and Lucile Guilmard. The knitwear brand is influenced by Russo's suburban upbringing in Canada, and Guilmard's French folklore references. In 2020, Russo struck a deal to sell her thesis collection of knitwear at the Montreal-based luxury retailer Ssense and inked a deal with Adidas to design a collection for Adidas Originals, as well as Olympic-themed pieces timed to the Tokyo Games. In November 2023, Russo partnered with digital fashion platform Sknups to translate three key looks of its fall 2023 collection for Roblox. This year, the pair landed a deal with Nordstrom, which will stock the brand's pieces as of this month. Celebrities like Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Caroline Polachek, FKA Twigs, Kylie Jenner and Phoebe Bridgers have been spotted wearing their designs.

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