Image commercially licensed from Unsplash
It’s rare to do what you love for a living, but to get to do it multiple times in a lifetime is incredible. For Ripley Rader, when a fun pastime of sewing and creating clothes got thrust into the spotlight her career in musical theater was put on pause. This Los Angeles-based fashion designer welcomed this new creative venture with open arms and still finds time for weekly dance classes – when she’s not busy taking the fashion world by storm.
Ripley Rader may have fallen into this career path unexpectedly, but it turned out to be her calling all along. Whether it’s her beloved wide-legged pants or fabulous jumpsuits, Rader found her true passion through arming women in clothes that make them feel as powerful as they are. With a greater mission to empower and uplift women, the Ripley Rader brand taps into a movement bigger than just fashion.
Beginnings
Fashion has been in Rader’s life since her grandmother taught her to sew at age 12. Her mother, an interior designer, had discarded upholstery which Ripley repurposed to design clothes for herself. Ripley’s mother encouraged her creations and helped mold her creative path— but fashion wasn’t actually this young West Virginian’s first calling.
“I danced four hours a day, five days a week minimum, and I went to voice lessons at least once a week. That was my life from 10 yrs old on..” Rader revealed “so my sewing/design was simply fun. It was never something I wanted to monetize.”
Naturally a career in musical theater followed, but she never stopped making clothes. She would frequently try her hand backstage in the costume department, designing pieces for the fun of it. Ripley never imagined these designs would become a calling card for a whole new career path, but the universe had other plans.
Discovering a Designer
If you move to Los Angeles, you’ll find out what you really want sooner or later. Fortunately for Rader, a buyer from Fred Segal made that discovery for her. The singer/dancer had relocated to the city in 2006 following a tour of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. What happened next changed the trajectory of Rader’s life forever.
“I was at a concert wearing a jumpsuit I’d made, and that’s where my origin story begins,” the creative director recalls. “I met this incredible boutique owner at Fred Segal who said to me if I could make the jumpsuit in America and sell it for under $200, we would have a deal.”
Press opportunities suddenly appeared, and the founder realized she had to invest all her energy into turning this fun hobby into a full-blown fashion brand.
An Army of Women Not Afraid to Stand Out
While a unique perspective and unwavering confidence is certainly necessary to be a great designer, it’s the drive for a greater purpose that really sets Ripley Rader apart. In the process of building her brand, Ripley discovered how aligned it was with her bigger purpose– uplifting women. Through the building of her brand, Rader realized it was really the community of women that were being formed through her clothes that brought her the most joy.
“I know we’re conditioned as women to compete with each other,” she said. “In practice, I have found the complete opposite to be true. If I didn’t have all the women who stuck their necks out for me from the beginning, I would have no company. I don’t buy that women don’t support other women—women will go to war to support other women.”
Rader’s designs are built for all women: the career woman, the mother, and women at all stages of their lives. She creates clothes with the realities of a woman’s lifestyle in mind and her clothes reflect that. A top priority for Rader is that women not only look fabulous in their clothes but feel confident and comfortable and her signature pieces do just that.
But Rader’s brand isn’t just for women; it’s also run by women. Dynamic women are the backbone of Ripley’s Los Angeles-based company, and she is committed to putting her money where her mouth is when it comes to hiring and working with women across the board. Her other ventures, which include a podcast for teenage girls and a leadership camp for young women run parallel to the brand in reaching out to the next generation of women. Because, who knows, a young woman learning to sew from her grandmother could have the very same aspirations as Ripley Rader.
