Clare Rous and Kara Iland

Clare Rous and Kara Iland are founders of private members’ fashion boutique ROUS ILAND. Having worked as international arbitration lawyers at Clifford Chance in London and Paris, Clare & Kara founded ROUS ILAND to provide a highly personalized and exclusive shopping service for busy, high-powered and glamorous women. Bankers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, charity committees and media personalities seek out their expertise to develop a wardrobe individually tailored to their lifestyle and appearance. Sourced from around the world, from Copenhagen to São Paulo, London to Sydney, every piece in their collection is carefully cherry-picked for their members to offer an alternative to the mainstream—true style for all occasions: work, weekend, events and travel. Members of the boutique can try on clothes in the discreet tranquility of the private Mayfair showroom, open by appointment whenever convenient for them. With Clare & Kara always on hand to offer personalized styling advice, members are at liberty to experiment with different cuts, colors and silhouettes to focus on building a wardrobe of investment pieces they love. In just 4 years they have grown their membership to 2,000 spreading by word of mouth. Membership is by invitation only and is free. www.rousiland.com Interview by Marie Teather