rùadh
Shaped by childhood landscapes, subversive femininity, and quiet resilience, RÙADH explores the delicate boundaries between self, society, and planet.
Founded by creative director Jac Cameron, RÙADH is distinguished by a commitment to artisanal craftsmanship and ecological balance. We spoke with Jac to learn more about their latest SS25 collection, which focuses on enduring materials, impeccable details, and organic silhouettes, inspired by natural formations and sustained by the regenerative cultivation of the earth.
Interview EMILY PETRUCCIONE
Images courtesy of RÙDAH
COLLECTION & BRAND ETHOS
Your Spring collection explores femininity and nature while focusing on lasting design—can you tell us more about this ethos and how it is reflected in the materials, silhouettes, and details of each piece?
Rùadh celebrates craftsmanship and an artisanal approach to design both overarching and in the details. Our goal is to create a collection that redefines traditional ready-to-wear with ethically-sourced, natural materials and artisanal, small batch production and extreme attention to every detail that makes each piece special. Almost as if each piece was made for the individual wearer.
The pieces are built to last and to be cherished. With Ruadh I hope to champion fashion as a craft to be treasured, avoid over production and bring an awareness to the impact of the wearer’s purchasing power.
This is an incredibly personal brand that is inspired by the roots of my heritage and natural, rugged landscapes of my childhood having grown up in rural Scotland. The spring collection explores a more subversive version of “femininity” and what inspires a feminine connotation is juxtaposed by the masculine nature of shape and chosen fabrications.
Delicate aspects of nature appear in the curve of a sleeve or sculpted shape of a pant silhouette. The garments are imbued with hardware details that look like jewelry adornments.
Your first collection was more structured and tailored, incorporating heavier fabrics. What inspired the shift in SS25, and how did you approach designing with lighter, more fluid fabrics?
With each season I will focus on a new category launch, gradually building a full collection that allows the wearer to pair pieces as the season and the mood inspires. For spring it felt like the natural progression to explore t-shirts and sweats cut in organic cotton made in Portugal.
The foundation collection I launched with encompasses 11 pieces of denim which I consider the base of the brand upon which I will build into other fabrications, silhouettes and shapes.
Taking aspects of the design I developed for the foundation collection, I was able to bring a similar exploration to the sweatshirt and zip-up hoodie in that their overall shape embodies the organic fullness and sculpted articulation we see in the denim pieces.
You described this collection as a “discreetly powerful uniform for the modern woman.” What defines that power, and which pieces embody it for you personally?
For me clothing is an armor that should inspire confidence, resilience, power and comfort with a sense of flair and whimsy. I try to cut my pieces so that the structure of the shoulder, the fullness of a sleeve, the length of a jean silhouette denotes a sense of strength when on the body and when the clothing is being experienced throughout the day. Subtle aspects of this can also be experienced in the weight of a particular fabric, the wash of that fabric, the way it feels on the body. I live in our Quinn jean, the Archer jean and the Constance jacket for these reasons.
How do you see the Ruadh woman’s wardrobe evolving between seasons?
For fall25 I explore knits made in Scotland in a town called Hawick in the Scottish borders. The factory that makes our knits work with many of the French luxury houses and a lot of the product is hand finished with incredible attention to detail. Adding knits for fall25 really helps to give our customer new dressing options and brings an impact of color to the collection as we explore deconstructed argyles realized in Scottish lambswool, cashmere and responsible mohair. Aside from that, this factory has special meaning to me. My grandmother lived in Hawick, and this factory has been an important part of that community for over 200 years.
The collection includes essentials like crew necks, white tees, and a zip-up hoodie. What makes these foundational pieces distinct to Ruadh and why did they feel necessary to incorporate into your Spring collection?
I wanted to show that lightweight and more casual pieces can be done in a way consistent with the overall feel of the brand, and that even casual items can have a craftsman-like feel. My t-shirts have blind hem finishing, not typical of a “basic” garment. These details help to elevate a wardrobe classic and make it feel luxurious.
“With Rùadh I hope to champion fashion as a craft to be treasured, avoid over production and bring an awareness to the impact of the wearer’s purchasing power. ”
CRAFTMANSHIP & SUSTAINABILITY
How does Ruadh approach sustainability in fabric choices and production, and have there been any innovations or shifts since the last collection?
I spend a huge amount of time researching and exploring how to build our supply chains, with incredible attention to raw material use, factory partnerships and with a 360 approach to who we are supporting including charitable giving. We very intentionally want to approach building this company with a holistic sensibility in particular with the use of regenerative, recycled, and organic materials wherever possible in our collections, and a consciousness to the impact of the manufacturing process itself. Ruadh launched with B Corp pending status as a marker of our commitment to building the brand sustainably and ethically and we are currently working to achieve full B corp status.
Our goal is to integrate sustainable practices in everything we do—from material selection to design process to packaging. Each partner is carefully considered to be consistent with that ethos. For the foundation collection, 70% of that collection is constructed from fabrics made with regenerative cotton. We chose to make it in LA to support a US-made product with a lighter footprint. We partner with Saitex, a vertically integrated, digitally operated 4.0 smart laundry with a closed loop water recycling system, which minimizes water and chemical use. 100% of my t-shirts and knits are made from organic cotton. Hardware is made from recycled metals wherever possible.
As a company Rùadh pledges to support The Soil Health institute, a non-profit organization whose work is focused on scaling adoption of soil health management systems which support regenerative agriculture. We have a donation program in place and are strategizing with them on how to support their eMorts further. As Rùadh continues to grow into other categories it is important for me and my team to thoughtfully and pointedly build clothing with the rigor and dedication to sustainable practices.
Denim is core to Ruadh’s identity. Can you talk about how the refreshed denim styles in SS25 build on past designs while introducing something new?
Rùadh will always cover a core foundation of denim. This is my passion - I have endless love for working with indigo. In addition, denim may seem like a commoditized product out in the world, but I like to show the vast variety of what can be done with it, whether in style, finish, or color. In addition, my background leans heavily into tailoring – each garment should feel special on the body, with subtle differences in each small detail. The wearer may not even be aware of the specifics, they just know it feels "different" than other things they wear.
For Spring25 we launched our bestselling Quinn straight leg in a new pure fade indigo destroy wash. Our Archer jean is reimagined in a soft grey shade with our signature semi-precious real recycled gold hardware throughout. These washes help bring a lightness to the collections and help give our customer new options in known fits.
Our washes are created both by hand and machine. We harness bluesign approved chemicals to create our shades, and our wash experts hand create natural looking worn and vintage inspired jeans that give the feel of a garment lovingly broken in.
The knits and T-shirts are crafted in Portugal, while denim is made in the U.S.—why was this production approach important to the brand?
Portugal was the natural choice for our tees and knits, as I was able to work with a female-founded and family operated factory that specializes in the craft of premium quality t-shirts and sweats. Ruadh’s mission is to champion fashion as a unique craft, and with the development of each new category we carefully choose and marry the skill of the factory with the particular product we are trying to make.
Portugal has long been known as a leader in this field, the same as denim made in LA, it carries a highly regarded status for the level of craft and expertise.
“Rùadh’s mission is to champion fashion as a unique craft, and with the development of each new category we carefully choose and marry the skill of the factory with the particular product we are trying to make.”
What elements and processes from FW24 carried over into SS25? Anything you deliberately changed?
The customer should see the consistency of our overall collection in terms of quality of materials, manufacture, and fit, the loving care put into both the vision and actuality of each piece, as well as the environmental consciousness of our items.
Within that over-arching ethos, I like to think of each season unfolding a new chapter and fresh point of discovery for the customer. There should be an element of surprise with each season in the existing offerings and in the newness, as well as elements of playfulness within what one might think to be a standard item like a hoodie. I hope to bring a new perspective on how to build the Ruadh wardrobe while always maintaining a very tight offering and small batch production.
LOOKING AHEAD
What was the biggest takeaway from your first collection that shaped your approach to SS25?
Small, well made, limited with attention to sustainability really resonates with the savvy shopper who appreciates transparency. The reception of our initial collection really helped to give us proof of concept and continued clarity around our approach, and the specific feedback from customers is always incorporated in thinking about the next stage.
If someone were to invest in one or two key pieces from this collection, which would you recommend and why?
The Quinn is a classic, versatile, elevated take on a wardrobe staple. I highly recommend this style along with our Jura organic cotton sweatshirt in soft grey.
The Rhone jean is a particular favorite of mine. This jean is constructed with no side seam, making the engineering of the fit constructed from a single dart at the waist. This style comes in pure white for spring 25, and I wear mine with the Holt T shirt also in white.
A quiet bestseller is the Fionn jacket in soft grey. I worked with a jeweler in the NYC diamond district to perfect the shape of the gold buttons that imbue the garment with an elevated and jewelry-like quality.
How do you see Ruadh evolving over the next few seasons, both in design and in brand vision?
I love playing with new shapes and ideas, and this collection gives me the platform to explore the mix of traditional reimagined. Each piece should feel like something special and maybe even unexpected, but fitting within the overall concept of the brand. I also love connecting with customers, and I hope to continue doing that even as we grow.
RÙADH (pronounced “roo-ah”) means “red” in Scottish Gaelic and is associated with historic concepts of beauty and strength. For more information about the brand, visit ruadh.com
Images courtesy of Ruadh. SS25 Campaign images captured by Ed Quinn.
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