River Island (stylised as RiverIsland and abbreviated as RI) is a London-based, multi-channel fashion brand, founded in 1948 by Bernard Lewis. The retailer has a presence in over 125 of worldwide markets, in stores and online.
Best known for its trend focused womenswear offering, River Island also has menswear, kidswear and pet collections. 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. In the 1960s, it became an influential name in the womenswear fashion scene, under its previous name: Chelsea Girl.
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. In recent years, the business has expanded internationally, and continued to grow its online offer.
River Island is a private company, and remains fully owned by the Lewis family.
