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Every month–nay, every week–the Vogue editors are bombarded with press releases vaunting the launch of a new fashion brand. From sportswear to party bags, tights to T-shirts, we’ve seen it all, so it’s rare for a new label to truly grab our attention. This year, Róhe was one of the exceptions to the rule.
Established in Amsterdam in 2021, Róhe set out to bring a fresh perspective to traditional tailoring, creating a tightly edited line of elevated basics that are immune to the churn of the seasonal trend cycle. “As an introverted person, it’s important to me that clothes offer a sense of empowerment–we want to allow people to feel confident in who they are,” explains the brand’s founder and creative director, Marieke Meulendijks. “When I’m creating, the fabrics are like ingredients. We spend hours draping and deconstructing and reconstructing vintage pieces. This is how our most beautiful garments come to life: by mixing the past with the present.”
When British Vogue’s commerce director, Naomi Smart, first discovered the brand at a Matches event back in 2023, she was drawn to its impeccable black coat offering, but quickly learned it had much more to offer. “Out of the entire Matches website, Rohé was the clear winner when it came to quality of cut and price point, and ever since the event, I’ve been hooked–it’s become my go-to for solid wardrobe classics that I wear non-stop,” she explains. “Earlier this summer, I also visited the brand’s atelier in Amsterdam, and I picked up a number of pieces that, whenever I wear them to the office, I get stopped and interrogated about every five seconds. If you love The Row, Toteme or Raey (RIP), then you need to get Rohé on your radar immediately. Oh, and they do menswear, too. You’re welcome.”
It didn’t take long for word to spread across the pond, where Vogue.com’s senior fashion market editor, Maddy Fass, has also fallen for the brand’s easy elegance. Just this month, at Copenhagen Fashion Week, Fass was papped in the brand’s grey knotted jumper–which she styled with horseshoe jeans and red strappy sandals–and the cream lace-trimmed slip dress. “I love discovering brands that make pieces that are ultra wearable yet still feel special, and Róhe’s minimally-minded assortment does just that,” she says. “It excels at creating those little details that take an essential from ‘good’ to ‘great’.”
With a multi-disciplinary approach to design–Meulendijks speaks of the brand straddling art, architecture and craft–it’s no surprise that Róhe’s design studio and atelier, which is located on the prestigious “Golden Bend” of the Herengracht, is a physical manifestation of the brand’s impeccable aesthetic. The building’s soaring ceilings, Neo-Classical mouldings and wood-panelled walls serve as a fitting, old-meets-new backdrop for the contemporary furnishings and rails of architectural clothing. “I love to create storytelling through texture, and the Netherlands has a rich history of textiles,” Meulendijks says of her hometown. “By basing Róhe in Amsterdam, rather than London, Paris or Milan, we wanted put it on the map and make it known for its heritage and aesthetic. It has become more and more creative over the years.”
Meulendijks’s manifesto of timelessness is clear-eyed and consistent, and could not feel more relevant in the current fashion landscape. It’s fair to say that this goes beyond “quiet luxury”. And if the enthusiastic response from the Vogue team, or indeed anyone who wears a Róhe piece, is anything to go by, the brand is on its way to claiming a spot in the minimalist fashion hall of fame, where it will sit alongside the look’s ultimate muse, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. Bessette-Kennedy, Meulendijks says, is the best embodiment of the Róhe style sensibility: “She’s a true icon.”
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