With a Cocktail Party, Moda Operandi Celebrated Its Latest Obsession, Rùadh

After 21 years in the industry for Jac Cameron, this time around, it’s personal. “It’s about building a brand with heart,” the industry vet said at a Moda Operandi-hosted cocktail moment toasting to her new endeavor, Rùadh.

Firstly, the elephant in the room—how to pronounce the Gaelic name. It’s roo-ah. “I think initially people say ‘roo-add,’ but that doesn’t even matter to me,” the Scotland native told Vogue. “I love the name; it felt like a really strong word. It stands for red—it’s used colloquially for anyone who’s a redhead, but it’s also associated with strength, resilience, and beauty.”

On Wednesday evening, ahead of the NYFW shows kicking off, guests gathered in the freshly-opened Greenwich Village evening club hangout, People’s. On deck to greet them were cocktails with single malt Lagavulin scotch (of course), Belvedere vodka martinis, or rocket fuel in the form of Mr. Black coffee liqueur-infused libations—all named after popular styles in the line like The Archer, The Quinn, and The Constance.

Cameron knows her way around a good pair of jeans—she was previously global denim director at Calvin Klein and has been a denim whisper for Madewell and Abercrombie—and she also co-founded the popular brand AYR. “Denim has always been my area of specificity,” she said. “With Rùadh, I wanted to build a brand with an ethical lens and focus on small production runs. I’m really in the weeds with the supply chain. I’m making everything in a factory that’s B Corp-certified and whose value system I believe in; that matters to me. Everything is very personal. It’s taken me time to find my partners, and now we’re like a family.”

Speaking of family and heritage, Cameron is also making her sweaters in the town that her grandmother grew up in. “I’m obsessed with the Fair Isle knitwear,” noted Moda Operandi’s buying director of ready-to-wear, Marc Rofsky. “Her knitwear is so strong.”

Rofsky had heard about Rùadh, which just launched in October, through word of mouth via industry friends. “We always look for the next big undiscovered brand,” he said. “Jac has such a keen eye not just for fashion, but sustainability and ethical sourcing too. That creates real depth for a brand that, in a category like denim, can be really hard to find.” Rofsky is hedging bets that the oversized Henderson utility jacket in 100% regenerative cotton, which Cameron was modeling on the night, will become an instant best-seller on site. And judging by the amount of attendees who opted for the crisp white Rhode curved jeans, despite frigid temperatures outside, they seem like a sure bet, too. 

As silver platters with mini grilled cheeses and sausage rolls floated past, attendees bopped to the sounds of Claire Marie Astruc. Others, meanwhile, snapped pictures of the bouquets wrapped in the Cameron family tartan, which had been shipped over specially for florist Laurel St. Romain of Dead Flowers NYC to integrate into her work. The perfect personal touch!