When Rebecca Vallance took her first collection to Paris, she was living in London, pursuing a dream she’d carried since childhood. That debut secured orders from Harvey Nichols in Riyadh and Dubai – an encouraging start for a designer still finding her feet.
“I thought I might be onto something here,” she tells marie claire. Still, she couldn’t have anticipated how far those first orders would take her.
“I never knew back then that what I was doing back then would end up this.”
Fifteen years later, her name sits above 11 Australian boutiques, and her collections are stocked by international retailers including Net-a-Porter, Mytheresa, Harrods and Bergdorf Goodman. The designer also has another achievement to celebrate: her inclusion in The Business of Fashion’s BoF 500 Class of 2026.
“The email came in my inbox and I almost died,” she says of learning the news.
On October 13, Vallance marked the anniversary with a garden lunch at Lindesay House in Sydney’s Darling Point. Among the 60 guests were Charlee Fraser, Kate Waterhouse, Sylvia Jeffreys, Maria Thattil and Francesca Hung, who gathered alongside fashion editors and friends of the brand. A curved dining table, flowers and live harp music set the scene overlooking Sydney Harbour.
The occasion also celebrated The House of Reverie, the label’s Holiday and Resort 2026 collections. But speaking to marie claire, Vallance makes clear that the achievement she’s proudest of extends well beyond the clothes.
Guests arrive at Lindesay House in Sydney’s Darling Point to celebrate 15 years of Rebecca Vallance and the launch of the label’s Holiday and Resort 2026 collections with a harbourside garden lunch.
“I think building a company that’s been robust enough to last 15 years,” she says when asked what stands out. “I’ve seen so many people stay with me for a lot of that time.”
Some members of her team have been with her for more than a decade; she has watched them develop their careers and start families as the business has grown.
“I’m really proud of it. I’m really proud of the team. I’m really proud of what we’ve created,” she says. “It’s a team effort. It’s not just me on my own. I work huge hours, but so do the people that work alongside me.”
That perspective comes from knowing how much work sits behind the finished collection. Vallance describes the early years as “overwhelming, intimidating”, even though designing was all she had ever wanted to do.
Her interest began long before she had a business plan. At school, while other children brought things from their weekends to show and tell, Vallance brought her outfits.
“I would bring in what I wore on the weekend,” she recalls. “I remember I’d bring in a rara skirt. This is my show and tell.”
School holidays were spent sewing with her grandmother, who helped with her textile projects and encouraged an enthusiasm that already set her apart. Those memories remain a point of connection between them.
“Memories that still, even at 96, we talk about today.”
Turning that instinct into an international business required a different education.
“I’ve made lots of mistakes along the way, but I’ve also found my feet along the way too,” she says.
The label launched in 2011, making its debut in Paris before establishing itself in Australia. Its tailoring and occasionwear have since developed a recognisable identity – one Vallance is determined to keep evolving.
“I think looking forward is so important,” she says. “I make sure everything has the RV DNA.”
That means moving each collection forward while maintaining the quality that keeps customers returning.
“But the quality is what sets us apart too,” she says. “I’m a real stickler for quality and making sure everything is beautifully cut, beautifully put together, and last for a really long time.”
For Vallance, the evidence is in the wardrobes of women who have kept her designs for years.
“People have got coats of mine that are 15 years old. They’ve got beautiful gowns of mine that are 12 years old.”
She holds on to pieces herself, mixing designs from past collections with new-season clothes and antique jewellery.
“I’ve got pieces from RV collections through the time that I absolutely will never get rid of,” she says.
For all the international recognition, seeing someone choose her clothes remains a particular thrill. At Ascot in London, she found herself surrounded by women wearing her designs. Even spotting a customer carrying one of her shopping bags still makes her happy.
“And I think that’ll never grow old.”
Her commitment to the business is considerable, but she has also made a deliberate choice about where work ends. When building her family home, she decided against an office.
“I want to do my work at work, and when I come home, I want to be with my children and husband.”
As for the next 15 years, Vallance hopes to keep growing without losing the care that has gone into building the company.
“I hope that it continues to grow at the speed that it has, with the thoughtfulness and mindfulness that it has had the last 15 years,” she says.
Creative satisfaction remains central to that ambition.
“I hope that we’ll continue to create great collections, but also cultivate an incredible creative environment as well.”
And her own place in the company’s future? On that, she is unequivocal.
“This is a business that I want to remain in forever.”
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