Nicole Richie and Sofia talk to Vogue about their decision to embark on a fashion journey together with their new joint House of Harlow 1960 line, which launched today, May 10th, 2021.
You’d expect siblings stuck together for a year of quarantine would end up embroiled in family squabbles, but for Nicole and Sofia Richie, the time spent together resulted in a brand new fashion project. Back in April 2020, the two sisters made the decision to join forces on a new spring collection for Nicole’s House of Harlow 1960 line. Over a year later, it’s releasing today on Revolve. “In between watching Netflix and eating, we started talking about our goals for the future, and wanting to create together,” Nicole tells Vogue. Sofia adds that she’s always wanted to work with her bigger sister. “I watched Nicole build up House of Harlow to where it is today, and I admire her for that,” says Sofia. “I wouldn’t be interested in fashion if it wasn’t for her. I’ve learned so much from her.”
The spring assortment has a distinct ’60s and ’70s sensibility—House of Harlow does bohemian well!—including easy slip dresses, tie dye trousers, bikinis, wrap skirts, and more, all in sprightly shades of yellow, orange, and green. (Prices range from $78 to $228.) They wanted to capture their drastically different personal styles. “[Sofia’s] got incredible street style and she’s very edgy,” says Nicole. “I wanted to bring that element [into the line] as layering pieces.” Sophia, for her part, admires Nicole’s classic, effortless aesthetic. “I’m definitely the one borrowing from her most of the time. I’m always in that closet,” she says.
For their first time working and designing together, they decided to each take the lead on certain pieces, instead of creating each one as a team. If you expected there to be any sibling rivalry during the design process, you’re also mistaken—though they both did bring different perspectives to the meetings. “We didn’t know how we were going to play off of each other, but it honestly was the perfect combination,” says Sofia. “I would often come in and be like, ‘No, let’s make it shorter, or more funky, or throw in this pattern.” Nicole does admit, “There were definitely times where I said, ‘Guys, we cannot have it that short. That is too much!’”
