Rag & Bone
Rag & Bone is an American fashion label helmed by Marcus Wainwright, originally from Britain. The brand is sold in more than 700 shops around the world, as well as in Rag & Bone retail stores.[1]
History
Rag & Bone was founded in 2002 by Nathan Bogle and Marcus Wainwright.[2] In 2004 the label launched with a men's line and a women's line followed in 2005. In 2006, Bogle left the company and David Neville, who joined the company in 2005, became partner with Wainwright.[3][4] With the help of footwear designer Tull Price, former owner of Royal Elastics and current co-owner of FEIT, Rag & Bone Footwear was founded in 2008.
Created in Spring 2011 for Rag & Bone /JEAN, the D.I.Y. Project sought to flip the traditional photo shoot on its head. An ongoing creative initiative, each girl is given a digital camera, a bag of clothes and the same remit – to interpret Rag & Bone /JEAN in their own individual way. Models such as Miranda Kerr, Jessica Hart, Lily Aldridge, Poppy Delevingne, Abbey Lee Kershaw and Candice Swanepoel have been a part of this.
Prior to Rag & Bone, Neville and Wainwright, who met at boarding school in their native UK, had no design or fashion experience between them.[5] It was in New York in 2001 that Wainwright had the idea to try to make a pair of men's jeans which ultimately took him to Kentucky where he worked with a factory for over 18 months to perfect his product.[6] That experience, he cites, as informing the brand’s philosophy. Today, Rag & Bone offer men's and women's ready to wear, jeans (under rag & bone/JEAN), footwear and accessories.[2]
Rag & Bone's footwear line includes the Newbury boot.[7][8][9]
For their SS15 menswear collection, in lieu of a fashion show, they enlisted friends of the brand, including Jerry Seinfeld, Carmelo Anthony, Camille Rowe and Alex McWatt for a portrait photo series shot by Andreas Laszlo Konrath.[10]
In October 2015, Wainwright and Neville, who previously spoke at the WWD Menswear Summit,[11] were guest speakers at the WWD CEO Summit where they discussed the brand's trajectory and retail footprint, including their newly opened NY concept store, the General Store.[12][13]
In October 2016, Rag & Bone expanded into the world of fragrance with the launch of a line of eight unisex Eau de Parfums. Scents included Oddity, Amber, Cypress, Rose, Encens, Oud, Bergamot and Neroli.[14]
In October 2016 Rag & Bone also signed its first licensing deal for eyewear with Italian eyewear creator, Safilo Group, beginning in January 2018.[15]
Ad campaigns
Kate Moss starred in the brand's first ever advertising campaign for FW 2012 and also shot their SS 2013 campaign.[16] American actor Michael Pitt fronted their first men’s campaign for FW 2013 with French actress Léa Seydoux appearing in their women’s campaign.[17] For SS 2014 they cast actors Emile Hirsch and Stacy Martin.[18] For FW14 Michael Pitt and Winona Ryder star in their campaign.[19]
The SS15 campaign featured a Rag & Bone film called The Driver, starring Michael Pitt and Astrid Berges-Frisbey. Directed by Pitt, it won the Best Production Award in the Established Talent category at the Milan Fashion Film Festival in September 2015.[20]
The brand had raised controversy after an attempt at shock advertising backfired, when it commissioned an advertisement where the body of a vintage Porsche 911SC, widely considered a work of art by design enthusiasts, was crushed. However the Porsche used in the advert had actually been a shell of a car that was salvaged from a scrap yard for the shoot.[21][22]
In an effort to innovate its approach to seasonal campaigns, Rag & Bone launched its serial Photo Project in February 2016. The Photo Project, shot by Glen Luchford, eschews the customary cadence of biannual fashion advertising campaigns and features an ongoing series of women who represent the diversity and breadth of the brand.[23]
Following on from the Photo Project launch in February, Rag & Bone announced in May the Men’s Project featuring an eclectic cast of men from various artistic backgrounds. The Project featured John Turturro, Mauro Refosco, Honor Titus, Wiz Khalifa, David Alexander Flinn, Harvey Keitel, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Mark Hamill. The imagery was shot by prolific photographer and friend of the brand, Andreas Laszlo Konrath, and was released throughout 2016 in tandem with the launch of each featured collection in stores.[24]
Awards and honors
In 2006 Neville and Wainwright won the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation (EDFF) award in the men's category which entailed a $25,000 prize fund to stage a fashion show during NYFW.[25][26][27] That same year they were finalists in the Council of Fashion Designers of America's Vogue Fashion Fund. In 2007 they were recipients of the CFDA's Emerging Talent Award.[28] In 2010, Neville and Wainwright won the CFDA/Swarovski Award for Emerging Menswear Talent.[29] In 2013, Rag & Bone was awarded the Accessories Council's Breakthrough Award.[30] In 2014, they were nominated for the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year.[31] In 2015, Neville and Wainwright were honored at Phoenix House’s Fashion Award Dinner.[32] In 2015, Neville and Wainwright were nominated for the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year award.[33] In 2016, Neville and Wainwright were nominated for the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year award for the third time.[34]
References
- Iredale, Jessica. "Ten of Tomorrow: Rag & Bone's David Neville and Marcus Wainwright". WWD. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- Cleary, Meghan. "Denim Dispatch". JCReport. Archived from the original on 24 July 2003. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
- Karimzadeh, Marc. "Nathan Bogle Parting Ways With Rag & Bone". WWD. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
- Levinson, Lauren. "Former Rag & Bone Founder Launches New Men's Label". Elle.com. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
- "How a couple of British boarding school boys with no formal training launched New York's coolest fashion label". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "Rag & Bone's Wainwright and Neville Say Focus First". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "Rag & Bone's Wainwright and Neville Say Focus First". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "Welcome, chaps: The British-born designers behind Rag & Bone make their mark on Melrose". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "Rag & Bone Inching the Window on Cool Success". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "Rag & Bone's Gallery Outing". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- Lockwood, Lisa (3 April 2014). "David Neville and Marcus Wainwright Reflect on 10 Years at Rag & Bone".
- Iredale, Jessica (29 October 2015). "Rag & Bone's David Neville and Marcus Wainwright on Keeping Up".
- "The Rag & Bone General Store Won't Be Your Typical Rag & Bone Store".
- Collins, Allison (2016-10-12). "Rag & Bone Launches Fragrance, Mulls Candles". WWD. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
- Zargani, Luisa (2016-10-27). "Safilo Inks License With Rag & Bone". WWD. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
- "Kate Moss Returns to England for Rag & Bone's Spring 2013 Campaign". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "French Beauty Léa Seydoux and Boardwalk Empire's Michael Pitt Front Rag & Bone's Fall 2013 Ads". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "Rag & Bone SS14 Campaign". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "rag & bone Fall/Winter 2014 Campaign featuring Winona Ryder and Michael Pitt". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "Milan Fashion Film Festival - HUNGER TV".
- "Rag and Bone destroy vintage porsche". Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- "Why Rag & Bone Destroyed A Porsche".
- Lisa Lockwood, Rag & Bone Unfurls Serial Photo Project Women's Wear Daily February 11, 2016
- Palmieri, Jean E. (2016-06-07). "Rag & Bone to Highlight Real Guys in its Men's Project Campaign". WWD. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
- "Fashion Foundation: rag & Bone – 2006". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "Fashion Foundation". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Announces the Future Stars of Fashion". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "2013 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalists". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "Marcus Wainwright & David Neville, Rag & Bone". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "The Accessories Counsel Names Honorees for ACE Awards Gala". Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- "And the 2014 CFDA Fashion Award Nominees Are…". Style.com. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- Women's Wear Daily Phoenix House Honors Mark Lee, Rag & Bone Duo, Linda Wells Aria Hughes, November 5, 2015
- New York Times CFDA Award Nominees Are Announced ALEXANDRA JACOBS, MARCH 17, 2015
- Women's Wear Daily CFDA Awards to Honor Donna Karan, Norma Kamali, Alessandro Michele Jessica Iredale, March 16, 2016