A new London label called hrh is carving out a distinct visual language from two seemingly disparate references — competitive gymnastics leotards and 1980s Californian beach culture — and distilling them into a ready-to-wear collection that feels both nostalgic and urgently current. The brand’s thesis is disarmingly simple: summer is wherever you are.
The Eighties beach counterpoint arrives through color and texture. Neon accents, striping, and color-blocked panelling in hot pink, electric blue, and sun-faded coral offset the technical athletic references with a laid-back hedonism. The fabric mix includes both performance stretch materials and slouchy terry cloth and cotton mesh, creating a dialogue between tension and release.
The gymnastics influence manifests in the collection’s silhouette vocabulary: high-cut legs, wrapped waistlines, compression-like bodices, and stretch panels that reference the structural engineering of leotards without mimicking their athletic function. These are clothes built for movement, with seam lines that follow the body’s natural articulation points rather than imposing a static shape.
With prices ranging from £65 for tops to £185 for dresses, hrh positions itself between the high-street and contemporary designer brackets. The label’s direct-to-consumer model, supplemented by select wholesale accounts, allows it to maintain the tight inventory control that a micro-brand needs to survive. Whether the gymnastics-and-beach proposition has the staying power to evolve beyond a single season will depend on the brand’s ability to expand its reference library without losing its distinctive voice.
The debut collection has already attracted attention from London-based retailers and stylists who see it as a fresh entry point into the growing sportswear-as-fashion category. Where competitors in this space tend to lean heavily toward technical performance or pure streetwear, hrh occupies a middle ground that could appeal to women seeking clothing that moves with the body without announcing itself as activewear.
