Up and Coming: RASHHIIID founder Rachel Maguire

For this week’s Up and Coming feature, we sat down with Irish designer Rachel Maguire – who founded RASHHIIID back in 2020.

The fashionista started making pieces in her parents’ garage during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

After the creation of her first hat, she noticed the effect it had on friends, family, and strangers; regardless of gender or age, people stopped and turned their heads or even asked to touch it.

Two years later, Rachel can boast the fact that a host of well-known names such as Doja Cat, Ariana Grande, Rosalía and Vanessa Hudgens have all worn RASHHIIID pieces.

The Dublin brand is exemplary of focusing on self-expression and pushing the boundaries through the medium of fashion.

RASHHIIID’s products are all handmade in Ireland by Rachel and her team with the most luxurious faux fur on the market, keeping ethical and environmental values in mind.

Find out more about Rachel Maguire and RASHHIIID in our exclusive chat below:

Q. How did your brand RASHHIIID come about? 

In my final year of college – whatever phase I was going through in fashion – I knew that I wanted a big, dramatic faux fur hat. I couldn’t find one on the market that was the right colour, the right size, the right price, so I sourced the faux fur material, made one for myself. One evening after college, I made one by trial and error because I’d never made a hat before.

Then, everywhere I went, people were asking to try it on, people were touching it, people were wondering who made it and where it came from because it was a little bit of an unseen thing back then, which was two years ago now. It’s not something you often see people walking down the street in and people responded to it.

It was right in the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and something I had created was sparking a human connection and it was just a lightbulb moment, like ‘Why shouldn’t I keep going?’ I never planned to have a business, it happened very organically and accidentally.

Q. Were you worried about launching your own business during the pandemic? 

No, it was almost the perfect time. It kind of propelled me further that my hat was creating a bit of happiness for people even if it was for ten minutes, even if they could style an outfit at home and take a photo in something a bit wild and out there.

It was during Covid-19 and it was giving people a bit of happiness and I couldn’t believe that something I had created was able to do that for people. It was never something I had planned to do. I had no idea what I wanted to do after college. I was just getting through college. So, I just fell into it naturally and Covid-19 didn’t scare me.

It almost was more of a reason to do it, because I was at home, I had more time and people needed something to escape from the dark times. So, it was definitely more of a reason.

Q. Where do you take inspiration from? 

I think that we’re bombarded with stuff now and sometimes it’s almost better to go back to yourself. I find that if I’m travelling or see something in person, it’s a lot more inspirational to me than if I see something on social media, which is so bombarded that I’m almost numb or disheartened by looking and saying ‘Oh my God, look at these people all over the world doing crazy stuff. How will I ever compete with them?’

That’s the sort of feeling that I get from social media. Whereas when I’m out in the world, and I walk by someone or I see something in real life, or I touch a material in a fabric shop, or I travel and see different styles – those are the times that I am happy, at ease, have mental faith or am inspired, rather than being bombarded on my iPhone.

Q. A host of A-listers from Doja Cat to Ariana Grande have worn your designs. How did they discover your brand, and what was your reaction? 

A lot of it is through Instagram – actually, all of it is through Instagram. I did a master’s class in for Fashion Design after college, because everyone told me I had to, I had to. Vanessa Hudgens texted me when I was in class being like ‘Oh my God, I’m obsessed with your hats. I’ve been looking for hats like this for months. I’m so happy I found you’ and I was just like ‘You want one? Cool!’

So, I was sitting in the classroom, and I just remember thinking ‘Why am I here? I should be making hats.’ You know, everyone was telling me I needed to make it as a designer, and I just felt like it was my moment. It was my foot in the door. I knew I was young; I knew I wasn’t ready for all the mayhem that comes with a business, but these people that I was inspired by when I was growing up were recognising that they liked my work. So, thanks to Vanessa Hudgens I dropped out of my master’s.

Doja Cat was the same, she just literally slid into my DMs. Ariana Grande was through her assistant stylist who is Irish, her name is Sophie, she told me she liked my hats, and I was like ‘Cool, want to give one to Ariana?’ and then that night when it arrived at her house, she posted it on social media. So, they’ve all been through Instagram. I’ve been very lucky to find something not everyone is making.

Q. If you could choose one celebrity, dead or alive, to wear your designs – who would it be? 

Rihanna! Yeah, that’s my goal. I’ve been to every Rihanna concert that she’s ever played in Ireland, starting when I was nine, I think. I’m a die-hard! So, yeah, Rihanna for sure!

Q. The RASHHIIID range currently includes hats and leg warmers. Have you any plans to expand the range? 

Yeah, definitely! I’m making something for someone very special. I do custom coats and jackets. I love making new things and I love winter products. If I’m honest, I have no interest in making dresses, I have no interest in making bikinis. I just love coats and bags and boots. I just love winter, that’s when I thrive. But it’s very hard to put a system in place.

The hats I can churn out, I have people trained in that can help me with orders, but it’s very hard to put a system in place with other products. Having people that can sew them together in Ireland is very difficult to find and I don’t want them to be made in a factory in China, I want everything to be handmade in Ireland. So, yeah putting a system in place for new products is very difficult, but of course I hope to expand.

It just takes a bit of time, I guess. You can get lost in orders, and you can get lost in day-to-day tasks and it’s difficult to find the mental space. The reason I got into this was because I had so much mental space; I was in college, whereas now I’m swimming in emails, invoices, orders and stock takes. Finding the space to be creative is just a chore right now. So, I think I will take a step back this summer and try to figure out what the next step is.

Q. Your business is mostly based online. Would you like to open your own shop in the future? 

I don’t like to think too far ahead to be honest. There’s enough going on in my day-to-day, week-to-week schedule. I’m motivated by the present. It gives me anxiety to think into the future – that’s how my brain works, I guess! I’ll be stocking my products in Havana Boutique in Donnybrook for the month of November. I also stock them in retail shops in South Korea, Virginia and Los Angeles.

South Korea came about through Instagram as well. I make a lot of sales through people in South Korea, they really like the hats – which makes me so happy. The idea that people over there are walking around with handmade in Ireland faux fur hats made by me. I’ve sold to a good few people in South Korea through Instagram, I think [the hats] suit their style a lot.

Q. You’re quite a creative person, have you tried your hand at any other artistic ventures? 

No, not really. I was very lost for a long time through leaving school and college. I was a three-time college dropout. I did a diploma in Psychology, Marketing all sorts. So, I was just lost and thought partying was the only way to be happy until I found fashion. I was always someone who needed to express themselves through clothes.

There are some people that clothes are just a functionality, as in you can’t walk outside naked. Whereas for me, it’s not just functional, even if I go out to my studio alone, I’ll wear outfits that I feel good in, look good in, matches my mood for that day, whatever I’m into that day. So, it’s been a necessity in my life, but I never thought of it as a career. Once I meshed those two things together, it was just like ‘Oh my God, beautiful!’ It saved me.

Q. What advice would you give to someone who wants to launch their own business? 

There are so many things, I guess. Keep the faith! For every one thing that you see on my social media that comes to life, there’s been five things that have let me down. There’s been people that have not paid, or not posted or whatever that may be. You have to love whatever you’re doing, even if it’s not fashion. If you find something that makes you happy, go with it – if you’re passionate about it, that will take you through the hard times.

There are a lot of hard times, there are a lot of annoying moments, there are people that are going to let you down; no one really cares at the end of the day about your brand, it may only excite them for a few minutes. You yourself have to be happy, you yourself have to know your worth because you won’t get it through other people.