The rainbow radiance of Olivia Rubin's designs

To celebrate turning 40, Olivia Rubin designed a second wedding dress.
Wearing a white sequin gown with a multi-coloured tulle skirt, the British designer — who is known for her rainbow aesthetic — marked the moment in style, as she partied with loved ones in London last month.
“Turning 40 is a milestone,” she says. “It feels like a bit of a rebirth.”
She shared a picture of that dress with her 225,000 Instagram followers. “That was a mistake,” she laughs. “I kept getting asked when it will be available to buy. Maybe we’ll put it in next summer’s bridal collection.”
But she nearly missed that moment.
“At first, I did not know what I wanted to do, what I would wear or if I wanted to do anything at all. The party ended up being organised at the very last minute.”
“There has just been so much going on,” says the mum-of-two daughters, aged eight and five. “With the collection and the kids, I always end up leaving my own things to the last minute.”
Over the past year, Rubin has been busier than ever. Under her namesake womenswear brand, she has launched a concession in Harrods, collaborated with luxury department store Liberty London on a collection of quilts, cushions and kitchenware, and even opened her first shop in Marylebone last month.

Olivia Rubin

Olivia Rubin in her leisure wear

She has dressed celebrities in her brightly coloured clothes, from TV presenters Fearne Cotton and Holly Willoughby to singer Katy Perry and actress Lena Dunham. She has always shunned the neutral palettes common on the high-street, saying: “I am definitely not a nude, neutral person.
“I am very anti-rules, especially when it comes to dressing. I think individuals should dress for themselves, and there is something about an injection of colour and how it can make you feel.”
Over the pandemic her following soared, perhaps as a result of her loungewear range coinciding with lockdown — or maybe because her rainbow aesthetic struck a chord with the tributes paid to NHS workers.
Either way, with more people buying her collection online, over the past year she has had to increase her staffing from the studio to the shop by 300 per cent, from just three employees this time last year, to 12.
“We saw a huge growth on our website over lockdown, so we are now investing a lot in re-doing it. Our wholesale business has also grown this year, so we have to invest in growth and general customer service.”
“As you can tell, I don’t even have much time for calls,” she says, as she juggles our interview with putting on her make-up ahead of a meeting.
She has to work months in advance. “We are now designing and selling our collection for next year, from summer to the pre-fall 2022 collection.
At the same time, we are dealing with all the shipping requests before Christmas. We are not winding down, this time of year is always super busy.”
A former South Hampstead High School student, Rubin, the daughter of Dune of London shoe company founder Daniel Rubin, graduated with a Fashion Print BA from the acclaimed Central Saint Martins. She then worked with Alexander McQueen and John Galliano before setting up her own brand.
Whilst design is at the heart of what she does best, she has found a way to combine her artistry with her business.

Olivia Rubin

Olivia Rubin in one of her rainbow skirts

“The business has grown so much, with the shop and salaries to pay, I feel like I have such a responsibility, I feel like I am their mum,” she says. “The business side does come naturally to me. I do embrace creativity, but I am always thinking about the business element behind the collections.
“I am not going to put a piece in the collection that won’t make any money. As much as I love creativity, unless a piece makes money I am not going to have a business. There is a happy medium between creating things you love and taking in the business side.”
Whilst her designs have found a home across the consumer market, she has also found a way to design for special occasions.
When she married husband Ben Kaye in 2011 at Western Marble Arch synagogue — after meeting ten years earlier at an RSY youth movement event in Golders Green— she wore a Vera Wang dress that she customised by adding sleeves, iridescent sequins and a long train. She decided to launch her own bridal collection, when she spotted women buying her pastel gowns to wear to their weddings.
With a modern bride in mind, she designed an affordable collection — with pieces ranging from £250 to £595 — of dresses and covers.
Brides have posted images of her dresses, including a white full-length silk dress with multi-coloured bows down the back. There is also a sweet white short dress, with a godet of pastel colours in the skirt.
“After lockdown, there were people who had their weddings cancelled, or may not have had the budget to spend thousands of pounds on a dress, but who still wanted something super special and unique,” she says.
“Our wedding dresses are for someone who is classic, with a bit of a twist, someone who is fun, creative and playful.
“They are timeless pieces that you can wear again – but maybe not to someone else’s wedding, maybe to a party or a special occasion.”
Maybe, a 40th birthday party?
For now, she is back to business. And she is open about the juggling act that comes with being a working mum.
“It can definitely be stressful,” she says. “A lot of what I do depends on the kids, they are not robotic. They will also have days when they love what I do and find it interesting, or there will be times when they want me around more.
“But I am flexible. If I am with them after school, I will then make up the hours later on.
“As my husband said at my party, I am always on my laptop at night, but I find that if I am taking time out to be with them, then I have to make up the time.
“At the same time, I am realising that I cannot do everything anymore. It is about having a great team around you and relying on one another.”
As a big part of her business comes from social media, Rubin, with her blonde tousled hair, will post videos and images on the platform, showcasing her wearing the rainbow designs.
“I do not look like that the majority of the time,” she says.
“I am mostly in loungewear with no make-up.
“Instagram is a bit like a fantasy world, where people want to see the positivity and colour we radiate, but I am not in rainbow sequins, day and night.”