Balinese-Australian label Riu is breathing new life into archival vintage pieces
PHOTOGRAPHY BY @CCROSERIO
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“Older vintage pieces still have a place in our modern world.”
Raised in Bali, Chiara grew up watching both of her parents work for their local textile business. The production house was like “her playground”, and Chiara’s interest in fashion stemmed from her family’s extensive history in the industry. So when their company eventually closed in 2010, she saw an opportunity to reinvent the deadstock pieces that had been left behind.
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Chiara’s label, Riu, is characterised by colourful, handstitched beading, playful prints and heavy embellishment. Made from the remnants of fabric leftover from her parent’s business, Riu is all about reinventing archive pieces for 2023. Below, she tells the story of the label so far.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
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I was born and raised in Bali, Indonesia. My parents both worked in fashion production, creating designs and experimenting with local artisans for processes and techniques that they would offer to designers and brands overseas. My dad is originally from Como (Italy) and grew up working in our family’s textile company.
It was a family business passed down for generations that spanned over 100 years by the time it closed. So like my dad, I too grew up in my parents’ production house, it was my playground every day after school. I’ve spent hours around every stage of the production process, so working around these materials feels somewhat habitual. The studio sadly closed officially in 2010.
How did the label get started? Talk to us about the process and the challenges.
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I never really wanted to start my own brand/label, even throughout this whole process it hasn’t felt like I have, it feels more like an exercise. In 2020, I helped my dad clean out the factory. It was almost a whole year of sorting through fabrics, accessories, batik stamps… covered in dust sorting through a space that had been sitting idle for 10 years.
There was a lot of deadstock left towards the end of the studio’s life. My dad is still as sentimental over these pieces today as he was when he was making them. Because he’s so involved in the design process, he held onto it all. It was then we got the idea to give some of his productions a second life and find a way to offer them to the world. I saw it as an opportunity to exercise things I liked to do, like photography, styling, art direction…
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The industry of garment production has been slowly dissolving here in Bali over the last decade. My vendors always talk about how difficult it is to find tailors nowadays. In the age of the internet, many young people choose to commit to other economic pursuits that require less time and effort.
So one of the main challenges has been finding tailors and vendors who are down for upcycling and restoring pieces that can work to the quality standard. Don’t get me wrong, they’re definitely still around! But on much smaller scales and only want to take you on if you produce in larger quantities.
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The other main challenge is on the retail side; because of the nature of where the tops are from, not all sizes are available in every style. In saying that, I’ve been blessed to be able to work with friends and stores who are understanding of the circumstances.
What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now?
At the beginning of this project, the intention was to refresh these cute tops and use the brand as an exercise and platform to do things I like and see where it goes. The message was that older vintage pieces still have a place in our modern world, and can bring just as much joy in shopping this way as purchasing a newly made item.
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This intention remains to be the ethos coursing through Riu. In building upon this, we are now designing small capsule collections and trying to use the existing resources as much as possible. For this latest capsule we released, two-thirds of the collection is produced entirely out of materials from the factory and the other third is newly made but combined together with the deadstock materials.
What are you most proud of in your work on your label?
I’m not sure! The entire experience of putting these pieces together brings a lot of joy, especially when hearing feedback from people who love wearing them! The pieces are quite loud and colourful and I can totally respect that it’s not for everyone so it’s extra sweet when we speak to those who do connect to it. It makes all the work feel worth it.
What do you wish you knew when you started?
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There’s a lot I’m still figuring out! I’m just learning along the way and grateful to have wonderful people around who consistently support and believe.
Go-to dinner party playlist?
Dinner parties are not as big of a thing in Bali as they are in Melbourne so I haven’t hosted one in a while, but here is a playlist curated in its spirit.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
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We’re stocked at Escalier Store in Bali, Drunk Dad and Friends in Jakarta, and Saloon Store in Melbourne. Due to the variation across the pieces and the limited nature of their availability, we decided to focus on stocking at stores where people are able to actually try on the pieces instead of having our own online store. I think it’s nicer that customers get to connect with the pieces in their local store and community space…
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