Forbes 30 Under 30 Interviews by Forbes - Dailymotion

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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:03 This year's 30 Under 30 Europe list

00:05 features 300 founders and entrepreneurs

00:08 that have raised more than $1 billion

00:10 for companies that are reinventing

00:12 the European entrepreneurial landscape.

00:14 We traveled to London to meet a number of the honorees,

00:18 including Paulina and Lucille, the co-founders of clothing

00:21 brand Paulina Russo.

00:23 Their pieces have been worn by Megan Thee Stallion, Rihanna,

00:26 and more.

00:27 What makes Paulina and Lucille interesting to me

00:29 is their multi-pronged approach to fashion and multiple

00:32 business streams.

00:33 They aren't just creating clothes.

00:35 They're thinking about the future of fashion,

00:37 making digital garments for platforms

00:38 like Roblox and others, all while creating

00:41 avant-garde physical pieces.

00:43 The way that we develop our collections

00:53 is we always start in the factory.

00:58 In terms of the pieces, it's really

01:00 focused on how to innovate those crafts

01:03 and put them into a modern context.

01:05 So for example, these pieces are our signature.

01:09 They're called illusion knitting.

01:11 It has this lenticular effect where images appear and

01:13 disappear as the garment moves.

01:16 And that was inspired by a hand-knitting technique.

01:19 It was super beautiful.

01:20 We were like, how do we take this and make it more detailed?

01:24 How do we industrialize it?

01:26 And that's always a challenge every season, finding new crafts

01:29 to partner with some sort of technology

01:31 and find new ways to do it.

01:34 Our brand really revolves around three pillars

01:40 that are extremely important for us and makes us different.

01:44 Those pillars are sustainability, people,

01:46 and craft.

01:49 We work so closely with our manufacturers

01:51 to come up with solutions to make our garments last

01:54 on the long term and creating clothes that

01:57 will last in someone's wardrobe and eventually be passed down.

02:00 The people who help us developing ideas around us

02:06 are a huge part of the creative process, the way we work.

02:09 Everybody from the person who makes

02:11 to the person who's wearing the clothes,

02:13 everybody has an input with us.

02:15 And we really bring this community along.

02:16 Craft can mean so many things.

02:22 And I think something special about us

02:24 is that we really want to elevate local craft because

02:26 of where we're from, being the suburbs of Toronto in Canada

02:30 for Paulina and the countryside west coast of France for me.

02:35 What we grew up with was local craft.

02:38 You know what your neighbors kind of like paints

02:41 on their table for family dinners?

02:42 You know, that's a craft.

02:43 All those crafts that makes you really

02:45 feel connected on a very secret level almost

02:49 is really what we cherish.

02:50 And we really want to highlight.

02:53 We have three pricing points in our range.

02:58 We have things that are more entry price points.

03:00 So they'll range between like 80 pounds to 220 pounds.

03:05 That's just like easier things to get.

03:07 Like it'll be our Lycra or swimwear or some

03:10 of our knitted accessories.

03:12 And then we have a more like wider middle range

03:15 of things that are between like 220 and like 600

03:19 that are the creative knit pieces.

03:21 For example, like our knitted corset pieces.

03:23 These are our best sellers.

03:25 They're like this mixture between something

03:27 that looks very, you know, like of course is very restricted,

03:30 but actually it's extremely comfy.

03:33 And then we have things that are more like artisan.

03:36 And that's between like 600 to 1,000.

03:39 But we really make sure that we kind of never

03:42 go over 1,000 pounds.

03:44 You know, if you're like a student and you love the brand

03:46 or you're a fan, you could get something and still

03:49 be a part of the world.

03:50 We have had issues with complete copycats of the clothes.

03:55 We had no idea, but we started getting emails

03:58 from like people who follow the brand.

04:00 But like they saw our pieces like being replicated

04:03 in a store in China.

04:04 And there's only so much you can do with things like that.

04:07 Like if someone does that, like you can report it.

04:10 But we're not also in the position to like see someone.

04:15 And in a way, it's very flattering.

04:17 You're like, oh, thank you so much.

04:18 You like the work so much that you would want to do the same.

04:21 That's we really appreciate.

04:24 Personally for us, we have so many products

04:26 that we're continuing to put out there

04:29 that like it doesn't like stifle our creativity

04:32 or stifle what we're doing.

04:34 Yeah, and also in like total honesty,

04:36 there's like some techniques that are really core to us

04:39 that are really hard to replicate.

04:41 A copy can exist, but the original is really kind of

04:44 like a copy of the original.

04:45 The original is really kind of like you can recognize it.

04:49 ♪

04:55 Lucille and I met when we were studying

04:59 at Central Saint Martins.

05:01 I was studying fashion design with a specialism in knitwear

05:03 and Lucille was studying fashion design

05:05 with a specialism in womenswear.

05:08 After both of us graduated from Central Saint Martins,

05:11 we were both looking for studios.

05:12 We both knew this woman called Olya who runs One Granary,

05:17 which is a fashion magazine/support system

05:20 for emerging designers and students.

05:23 And she put us in contact with each other like,

05:25 "Hey, you guys should share a studio."

05:27 And that's where we properly met.

05:29 ♪

05:31 We were in the same space for like two, three months,

05:34 really observing what she does,

05:35 all the people working with her, her team.

05:38 But I was working on my own things.

05:39 I was in one corner doing my thing

05:41 and she was in the other corner doing her thing.

05:43 And I think we always were kind of looking at each other like,

05:45 "I really like what she's doing.

05:47 Like, this is really interesting."

05:48 ♪

05:50 And then one day I remember not being able to sleep

05:52 and thinking like, "I don't know how to really express this,

05:55 but I know that we should work together."

05:58 I just had this epiphany.

06:00 I woke up being like, "I feel like if we work together,

06:04 we could take over the world."

06:05 But how do you tell someone that?

06:08 So I came in that day acting really weird.

06:10 I didn't know how to bring it up.

06:12 She was acting extremely weird.

06:14 Instead of doing my work, I was cleaning and stuff.

06:16 So I'm like, "Why is she cleaning the studio?

06:18 Something is going on."

06:20 I'm just going to step right in.

06:22 "Hey, have you ever thought of kind of like expanding

06:25 and doing this with someone?"

06:27 And she straight up got it.

06:28 She was like, "Yeah, do you want to do this with me?"

06:30 I'm like, "Yeah, cool. Nice."

06:32 It was just this true like synergy type of moment

06:35 where we were both thinking the same thing,

06:37 but we didn't realize.

06:38 And so she spoke it into reality.

06:40 And then I was like, "Yeah, let's do it."

06:42 When we decided to work on the brand together,

06:47 the brand had already started.

06:48 I started on my own.

06:49 I was like a poor student.

06:52 I didn't have any money to start a label.

06:54 And actually when I was in school,

06:56 I had no intentions of starting a business.

06:58 I didn't know what I was going to do after school.

07:00 But when I was on my BA at Central Saint Martins,

07:03 my final collection that I presented

07:05 won the L'Oreal Prize for creative talent.

07:09 And there was prize money,

07:11 but also it was like huge press

07:13 for the work that I was doing.

07:15 Like the work went on to then

07:17 be on the cover of "Dazed" magazine.

07:19 I had this corset that I'd made out of sneakers

07:23 that I used to wear when I was growing up in Canada.

07:27 And I had crocheted them together

07:29 to create this sneaker corset.

07:30 And that was worn on the cover of "Dazed" by Solange Knowles.

07:33 So there was a lot of this like press coming in

07:35 and prizes.

07:37 And when I went on to study on my master's

07:39 and I did that all through scholarships

07:41 from the British Fashion Council.

07:43 I got contacted by Adidas

07:45 and they wanted to do a collaboration

07:47 between me and them.

07:49 And at that point I didn't have a brand.

07:50 So I was like, okay, so I guess I'm starting a brand

07:53 and this brand is gonna collaborate with Adidas.

07:56 And from the money that I received from that collaboration,

07:59 that was the initial capital to start the business.

08:02 (soft music)

08:05 So loads of people call me Alex.

08:09 My full name is Paulina Alexandra Russo.

08:11 So for me, like Paulina Russo is its own entity.

08:15 Like we are Paulina Russo.

08:16 - I mean, I like how you can see like this one

08:30 and those two points quite clearly.

08:32 - This is working.

08:32 - This is more hairy, but not as like napkinny as before.

08:36 - Napkin out.

08:38 I also think that we should try to find a way

08:41 to like have this.

08:43 Yeah.

08:44 - I think the color would be really nice.

08:46 - Then it would be really nice.

08:47 Yeah, definitely.

08:48 I love the way it draws those lines.

08:50 It's very like, it has such a texture.

08:53 I mean, this draws nicely with the body, the graphic.

08:59 - Our first ever like clients were Essence

09:03 who are also Canadian.

09:04 And then we went on to like expand our like clients

09:09 of like wholesale and retailers that we were working with.

09:13 We got picked up by Dover Sheet Market in London.

09:16 And then we got contacted by a company called Skin Ups

09:19 in London who connect fashion with gaming.

09:23 And that's how we began our collaboration through Roblox,

09:27 bringing Paulina Russo into Roblox.

09:30 - I mean, there's many different ways

09:35 that capital can come in, right?

09:37 That's another like revenue stream to explore

09:40 because it's a whole new community.

09:41 It's people who are interested in fashion,

09:43 but wouldn't necessarily wear it the way that we do

09:46 in the streets, but they would wear it even more

09:48 in like the world that they create online.

09:51 So there's like many different ways like this

09:53 that forms the capital that we have

09:55 that permits us to develop and exist.

09:58 - There's this alternative revenue

10:00 that we wanted to explore.

10:02 And it's something that we're gonna continue

10:03 to explore with the brand.

10:05 And then from there, after that sales season,

10:09 we did our first show during Copenhagen Fashion Week

10:13 because we won the Zalando Visionary Award,

10:16 which is an award that champions brands

10:19 that really look after sustainability,

10:21 community and collaboration, as well as creativity.

10:26 And from that show, we got to meet Nordstrom

10:29 and they were really, apparently, I mean,

10:31 they said to us that they'd been watching the brand

10:33 for a while.

10:34 And after that show, they decided to work with us

10:37 and stock our clothes.

10:39 - Paulina and Lucille were on our radar

10:44 because when we took a look at their collection,

10:46 it looked unique and like something really special.

10:49 We were really validated in our enthusiasm for the brand

10:52 after wrapping up Copenhagen Fashion Week

10:54 and seeing the energy of the show and the clothes in person.

10:58 The purpose of kind of this concept shop

11:02 is to be a place of discovery and inspiration

11:05 and inclusivity.

11:06 So we very often work with young designers

11:09 who are newer and emerging.

11:11 And then we love being the platform for Paulina and Lucille

11:14 as they kind of strategically grow their business as well.

11:17 They really practice what they preach,

11:18 like they are living and breathing

11:20 this positive impact fashion.

11:22 And I think that really resonates with our customers.

11:25 So we will continue this partnership

11:27 and we're looking forward to kind of renew

11:28 the inventory season over season.

11:30 - In terms of financial, we are completely independent

11:42 and that's something that's really important for us.

11:44 We run our own showroom, for example, even press.

11:47 We do everything in the house.

11:49 It's extremely hard for us.

11:51 It's like we understand and we're learning as it goes,

11:56 but financially being an emerging designer

11:57 faces a lot of difficulties in the sense that like

12:01 budget is really complicated to go around

12:03 and we need a lot of support.

12:04 But we understand that if we didn't have

12:06 that system of support, it would be even harder.

12:09 - We have done two shows now on Copenhagen Fashion Week.

12:14 And the first time we did it is the first time

12:16 we've ever done anything like that.

12:18 There were so many people involved.

12:19 You can't imagine like at least like a hundred people.

12:23 And also with the clothes, there's at least a hundred

12:25 people behind the clothes, 'cause it's not just us.

12:27 It was our collaborators, our manufacturers,

12:30 all the people who work at the factory

12:32 all worked on this together.

12:34 - Designing a collection for a lookbook

12:38 and a storytelling and stores is one thing.

12:40 Designing a collection with the aim of showing it

12:43 down the runway for the first time

12:46 is another story.

12:47 - From Copenhagen, we met some people from the Federation

12:52 for Paris Fashion Week.

12:53 - We are going to Paris actually today

12:58 because we are part of the showroom called Sphere.

13:01 It's a showroom organized by

13:03 La Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.

13:05 It is a group showroom.

13:06 So we are part of a group, six designers.

13:11 So we're gonna have the opportunity to talk a lot

13:14 about what we do to new people again.

13:16 - We've had many meetings and we are really putting out

13:22 the intentions and feelers to take the brand

13:25 internationally and do a show in a different country.

13:28 So it's so amazing to do the show in a place like Korea

13:32 or even go to Canada or something,

13:35 like to bring the work somewhere where we also

13:38 connect with the community there.

13:41 It's a dream.

13:43 (upbeat music)

13:46 - We have been in situations before where like our age

13:49 has hindered us, but I think in for the better

13:51 because we are really young and we are starting out

13:55 in a business like with age also comes experience

13:59 and knowledge and time and mistakes.

14:01 So we have been in situations where they're like,

14:03 oh, like, you know, we really love you for this job.

14:06 We really love you for this thing,

14:08 but it's two years too soon.

14:09 Or like, you're a little bit too young now,

14:11 but like in two years, yes.

14:13 And actually like really appreciate that sort of feedback

14:15 because like, we also believe the same.

14:17 I am way smarter and way better at my job now

14:21 than I was two years ago or five years ago.

14:24 So I hope that in like two to five years again,

14:27 that like I grow and we grow as like a brand.

14:30 I would say like the biggest hurdle that we faced

14:35 was really in the beginning,

14:36 because when the brand started,

14:39 we had just come from doing this collaboration with Adidas.

14:42 So there was already a perception about the brand

14:43 that we were really established.

14:45 We are like freshly students and starting a brand

14:49 and starting a business.

14:51 So yeah, really trying to like explain to people

14:53 in the beginning, like, no, we're just starting.

14:55 This is just the beginning.

14:57 I think when you're a young entrepreneur,

15:01 it takes a lot more convincing for people

15:05 like to take you seriously or to think that you're serious

15:07 about the work that you're doing.

15:09 There's also like the sense of like resilience, you know,

15:12 I actually think we're like extremely resilient people

15:15 and we work really hard

15:16 and I have seen it surprise people a lot around us.

15:19 So it'd be like, it's a bit of a myth, you know,

15:22 we're just like, oh, that generation

15:23 or like that kind of work doesn't go

15:26 with those kinds of like qualities in people.

15:28 But I think we're proving that wrong.

15:31 (upbeat music)

15:33 - In 2023, we found out that we were nominated

15:43 for the LVMH Prize.

15:45 In the final round, you have to present your brand

15:47 in front of the creative directors of LVMH.

15:50 So that's Marc Jacobs and like Nicola Ghesquière,

15:53 Kim Jones and Bernard Arnault.

15:56 So it's pretty intimidating

15:58 and you only have five minutes to pitch your brand.

16:01 - In terms of opportunity, being an emerging brand

16:05 associated to the LVMH Prize is incredibly valuable

16:08 to like the industry,

16:10 which really helped us developing and reaching out

16:14 to even more people and expand on what we wanna do

16:17 on a designing level, on a press level,

16:19 on all those kinds of angles that you need

16:22 as an emerging brand.

16:24 - A lot of people who know about us now,

16:25 I think they found us through the LVMH Prize.

16:28 A lot of celebrities who wear the clothes,

16:31 either they buy the clothes and we don't even know about it.

16:35 And we just find out because someone tags us

16:38 on social media wearing Paulina Russo.

16:40 For example, when New Jeans, this Korean pop group,

16:45 wore our clothes for their very first music video,

16:47 we had no clue.

16:49 We saw it actually in the music video

16:52 and they have gone on to wear more pieces.

16:55 When it comes to like other celebrities, we do loans.

16:58 So we'll loan pieces or we'll make custom pieces for them.

17:01 We worked with Doja Cat for her Scarlet tour

17:05 and she wore a lot of the Lycra,

17:07 these like iconic Lycra pieces

17:09 from her fall/winter '23 collection.

17:11 - This year over Christmas, we received a notification

17:16 that we've been tagged on a picture.

17:17 We opened the picture and Rosalia is wearing one of our top.

17:21 That was best Christmas present.

17:24 - At the moment we work with about nine retailers

17:27 around the world.

17:28 And so their customer base is endless.

17:32 But for us, we can only really interact with people

17:36 like online or who we've met in stores before.

17:40 That's the point of us starting e-coms

17:41 is that we want to have a more direct connection

17:43 with our community that's outside of just social media.

17:46 - We're scaling up in terms of production,

17:50 which can be challenging for us

17:51 because obviously we are at the beginning of what we do

17:55 and what our partnerships are like building up.

17:58 So as we're expanding,

17:59 we also need to sort of like work around quantities,

18:02 which can be really challenging for designers

18:06 because manufacturers, they have minimum orders quantity.

18:10 But we're very lucky

18:11 because we work with them extremely closely.

18:14 Then we are able to come up to agreements

18:17 and really work around those difficulties.

18:19 What would it take for us to sell the brand?

18:21 I don't even know.

18:22 What we're building is so like precious, important.

18:25 And so like for the long run,

18:27 selling it is absolutely not the goal.

18:30 Growing the team and having people come in

18:32 and really like work with us is definitely a yes.

18:35 Just in terms of like selling it

18:36 and leaving it to others, it's a no.

18:39 (upbeat music)

18:42 (laughing)

18:45 (bell ringing)

18:47 (upbeat music)

18:50 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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

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Forbes 30 Under 30 Interviews

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