Whereas only a couple of years back, even more independent labels could dictate prices to a confident customer base, today’s economy sees designers attacking the marketplace from multiple angles — big-box store collaborations, diffusion lines, denim collections, and the like. Why it was just yesterday that we got our first look at Nanette Lepore’s Oonagh. Today we have the boys of rag & bone, Marcus Wainwright and David Neville, branching out with not one, not two, but three companion lines to help diversify their retail placement in times when customers still want in on the edgy, natty brand, but require more paths to get there. Rag & bone/JEAN, rag & bone/KNIT, and rag & bone/SHIRT will concentrate on — wait for it — jeans, knitwear, and shirts, respectively. Available in stores next month, the lines will feature “functional, essential pieces that constitute the foundation of a modern girl’s wardrobe,” including menswear-inspired shirts, slub cotton sweaters, and classic jeans from a design team that got their start crafting smart, versatile selvaged denim. While the strategy is back-to-basics at its best, the guys tell Style File that compartmentalizing will grant them “room to be more experimental and exuberant on the runway.” Sounds like a win-win for everyone.
Rag’s New Riches [Style File]
Related: Thom Browne and Rag & Bone to Launch Lower-Priced Lines
