22 Facts About River Island

River Island is a London-based, multi-channel fashion brand, founded in 1948 by Bernard Lewis.

River Island's collections are entirely designed in-house at the brand's West London head office, and it was one of the first vertical fashion retailers in the UK.

Today, River Island is considered a key player on the UK high street, with 250 stores across the country, including flagship locations in London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham, plus a significant online presence.

River Island is a private company, and remains fully owned by the Lewis family.

River Island sold its first own made design in 1950 – a white, lace trimmed blouse with capped sleeve.

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In 1988, River Island launched as a menswear store in Exeter, with the name inspired by Leonard Lewis's time spent on a boat on the Thames.

River Island is headquartered in West London, with all core teams based in this location, including its in-house design team.

River Island is privately owned by the Lewis Family through the Lewis Trust Group.

River Island sells through 300 stores in the UK as well as online.

In recent years, River Island has invested heavily in its multichannel offer, including in technology, supply chain and logistics.

In 2008, River Island was an early adopter of content focused retailing, and launched a website featuring blogs, news, trends and style alongside its ecommerce offer.

In 2021, River Island launched online in the US and Canada, partnering with The Bay in Canada.

River Island is known for its trend led fashion ranges, all of which are designed in the UK at the retailer's head office in London.

In 2018, River Island briefly launched homeware, which was paused due to the pandemic in 2020.

In 2022, River Island launched a third party beauty offering alongside its own small range of fragrances.

In June 2022, River Island partnered with Sofia Richie, the model, social media star and daughter of Lionel Richie.

River Island was a sponsor of Graduate Fashion Week for six years from 2005 to 2011, providing sponsorship and mentoring for undergraduates in creative courses.

River Island has been a patron of the British Fashion Council and London Fashion Week since 2012.

In 2020 River Island launched a new sustainability strategy, based around 12 commitments aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Alongside other charity initiatives, River Island has an ongoing relationship with Newlife, a charity that works to support disabled and terminally ill children.

River Island donates stock to be recycled and resold, and in 2021,850,000 garments were reused or recycled through the partnership.

River Island is a signatory to several sustainability pledges and partnerships, including the Bangladesh Accord, the Carbon Trust, WRAP and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.