Men's // Women's
Rag & Bone Comes Full Circle With Denim
Rag & Bone's Marcus Wainwright and David Neville
When you think of the fashion industry you typically don’t think of Kentucky. But in 2002 that’s exactly where British transplants Marcus Wainwright and David Neville headed to jumpstart their careers as fashion designers.
“We ended up tracking down a factory in Kentucky that had been making jeans for 50 years,” Wainwright says of the pilgrimage to the Bluegrass State to manufacture a pair of rigid men’s jeans. “They made the first small run of jeans we delivered to three stores at the end of 2004. That was our first really breakthrough moment — seeing these incredibly skilled women sewing a jean we had sketched and designed.”
Rag & Bone buttons from the Waterbury Button factory
A lot has changed for the self-trained designers since then. In the past decade their label Rag & Bone has defined itself as a lifestyle brand, offering men’s and women’s fashion, shoes and accessories. In 2006 they were finalists in the Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund Competition, and in 2010 were named Menswear Designers of the Year by the CFDA.
“It’s evolving all the time,” Neville says. “But we have always stayed true to Rag & Bone’s initial values, which are based on quality and craftsmanship.”
The designers’ commitment to expert construction is evident in their creative partnerships with traditional manufacturers and suppliers including Martin Greenfield Tailors of Brooklyn, Norton & Sons of Savile Row and Waterbury Button, the oldest button manufacturer in the U.S.
Neville and Wainright close their Fall 2011 women's show. Photo, Dan Lecca.
“When I was a kid a “rag and bone man” used to go around the streets of London on a horse and cart, ringing a bell,” Wainwright says of the company’s atypical moniker. “He collected anything he could sell; like iron railings and clothes. It doesn’t really exist anymore but this was a British thing and something that spoke to the fact that our collections are very influenced by England and English tailoring.”
“The name also references a point in time when men wore suits to work, when there was no ready-to-wear,” Neville says regarding the brand’s take on tailoring.
This season their dapper men’s aesthetic was naturally English with hints – kilts, shearling, mixed plaids – from their homeland’s northern neighbor, Scotland.
“Our men’s collection for Fall 2011 was inspired largely by English gamekeepers, stalking in Scotland and the Duke of Windsor,” Wainwright says.
For women this season brings Seventies-esque ski wear with inspiration drawn from the Saami, Inuit, Eskimo, Siberian and Native American clothing in the Arctic Circle.
Rag & Bone, Women's Fall 2011. Photo, Dan Lecca.
But even with full men’s, women’s and accessories collections the brand still sticks to its roots – denim. This season they added some serious color to the brand’s big-break blues.
“The colored denim is surprisingly versatile and a fun alternative to a standard pair of jeans or trousers,” Neville says of the brightly painted pants that proved to be one of Fall’s biggest trends. “Some of the colors like the wine and dark olive are actually quite neutral and go with just about anything.”
The color wheel of denim has made a splash with bloggers, celebrities and fashion lovers alike, but for Neville and Wainwright the style is still in the stitch.
“Color just accentuates,” Wainwirght says of the idea that came from a photograph he snapped on vacation in Bequia with his family. “We have tried to focus on these true essentials of what a jean should be: great quality fabric and the best possible fit, without any bells and whistles.”
Shop Rag & Bone at NeimanMarcus.com and Neiman Marcus stores during the Denim Event, now through October 30, and save up to $125.
