Launched in mid-October, Rùadh, a sustainably-minded denim line founded by Jac Cameron, co-founder and creative director of contemporary label Ayr, is already showing up in the outfits and Instagrams of some of fashion’s most admired.
The brand kicked off with just 11 pieces ranging in price from $420-$780. The collection includes six pairs of jeans, including a five-pocket straight-leg style, a trouser-inspired style, a barrel-esque silhouette and a cropped style. There’s also a top, a skirt and some jackets.
“The [denim] industry has always been dominated by one or two key fits,” she said. “But, in the last 5-7 years, the industry is fragmented to a place where you can go out and [look for] any fit you want and it’s represented in the market. … There’s a customer for each one of these fits, and that’s a really nice place to be.”
Rùadh is producing in small batches, working with like-minded suppliers and manufacturers, and using ethically sourced materials. Its B corp status is pending.
“Having had 20 years in the industry making many brands — and, in particular, a lot of denim brands — it felt like the right time for me to put something out that spoke to true sustainability,” Cameron said. “I know how difficult of a thing that is to do, particularly with denim.”
Like Rùadh, Ayr produces in small batches to create less waste. Cameron has not been affiliated with the brand since 2021.
To promote the brand’s launch, Cameron looked to Substackers-slash-influencers Becky Malinsky (5 Things You Should Buy; 63,000 subscribers), Leandra Medine (The Cereal Aisle; 142,000 subscribers), Ali Pew (Uniform; 9,000 subscribers) and Allison Bornstein (The Allison Bornstein Newsletter; 33,000 subscribers). Jane Herman, author of the denim-focused Substack Jane on Jeans (8,000 subscribers), also featured the brand, as did Sarah Shapiro, who writes Retail Diary (9,000 subscribers). Cameron said that, in their first conversation, she told her PR agency that she wanted to get Rùadh in these very women’s hands. Shapiro and Herman featured Q&As with Cameron in their respective newsletters, while Medine and Malinsky have featured the brand in outfit photos.
“You can immediately see the traction you get [when they feature your brand] — it is quite incredible,” Cameron said, explaining, “On the backend of Shopify, I see every order that goes through and where it comes from.”
In some cases, Cameron’s relationships with these journalists go way back. “Becky and Ali and Jane wrote my very first pieces of PR when I launched Ayr [in 2014],” Cameron said, recalling stories published in The Wall Street Journal and InStyle. “They have a real filter for who they like to work with and such credibility in the industry. … That’s important.”
Cameron noted that she gifted the Substackers pairs of Rùadh denim — but overall, gifting was limited due to the jeans’ high price points.
Moving forward, Cameron is excited to also experiment with TikTok. “I always look to how Jacquemus does it,” she said. “They do it so well, where it’s immersive and emotional and not so serious.”
For now, the brand is sold direct-to-consumer, but Cameron is exploring retail and specialty boutique partners for next year. Rùadh’s upcoming product drops include cotton T-shirts and sweaters.
