Before There Was A Brand.
Richa grew up in India, where weekends often meant artisan exhibitions with her parents and family trips made room for local makers. She remembers workshops and homes, conversations about processes and the particular pleasure of finding something made by hand.
Learning To See The Hand In The Cloth.
The techniques changed from region to region: different fibers, motifs and rhythms shaped by place. Craft was never one look. It was a living body of knowledge, sustained by people who practiced it every day. That understanding stayed with her.
A pause that became a beginning.
When Richa moved to the United States on a dependent visa, work was not yet available to her. A small handheld sewing machine and fabric from Walmart became a way back into purpose. The garment was simple, but making it reminded her that creating was part of how she understood herself. Clothes became emotional tools.
Training the instinct.
Richa later trained at Parsons School of Design, commuting weekly from North Carolina. She completed her training during the pandemic while pregnant. The experience gave shape to an instinct she had carried for years: clean silhouettes over costume, structure without stiffness, comfort with a point of view and craft that belongs in the present.
The question becomes RIHLA.
Motherhood made the question more immediate. Richa wanted clothes with beauty and character that could meet a full day with her, from the first coffee to the last plan. RIHLA grew from that search: ease with feeling, craft with movement and clothes that let a woman remain fully herself.
Why RIHLA exists.
RIHLA makes clothes that help a woman feel present in her own life. The aim is simple: something considered, comfortable and a little more herself when she puts it on.
Start With The Way It Is Made.
Every RIHLA piece carries a story of cloth, skill and decisions made long before it reaches your wardrobe.
Rihla means "journey." For us, it is about coming back to what feels real. Clothes made with care. A slower, more thoughtful way of living. Feeling like yourself again.
Rihla means "journey." For us, it is about coming back to what feels real. Clothes made with care. A slower, more thoughtful way of living. Feeling like yourself again.
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