New LH Website.

[whnay.]

Oh boy...

www.marianorubinacci.net/

www.marianorubinacci.net/club

 

[sellahi22]

awesome. luca rubinacci is one of my top style icons

 

[TheFoo]

Well f*ck me. There's an eternity's worth of tepfodder right there.

 

[whnay.]

Originally Posted by sellahi22

awesome. luca rubinacci is one of my top style icons

Oh boy...

 

[TheFoo]

The B&B looks nice. But, uhh, what a weird addition to the business. It seems odd to include it amongst all the clothing-related services.

Also, based on what I could gather from the Italian, they're going to start selling ready-to-wear through Harrod's. I'm a little shocked. I would have imagined Mariano to be disgusted with that place. Maybe Luca isn't.

 

[DandySF]

Mercy. Makes Chan's new site look positively genteel.

 

[apropos]

And so begins a(nother) gradual descent into Pierre Cardin-ism.

 

[musicguy]

That is an interesting tie. I've never seen a knit like that!

 

[radicaldog]

They probably want to become some kind of Kiton or Brioni -- more money and long-term security in that sort fo business. Eventually the true bespoke operation will die out, or become a quaint quirk for those who know the original Naples shop. Hey-ho, that's capitalism for ya.

 

[whnay.]

I understand why they are going the mass market route - they've already tried it unsuccessfully in the late 90s. In order to keep quality high, LH only makes around 1,000 bespoke garments a year. Even if these are all dinner suits you can do the math, its not enough to sustain a "business". From what I can tell the bespoke operation is here to stay, more than half of the folks making the garments in Naples are under 40 years old and it remains the hallmark for Mariano.

The clothing being sold at Harrods will be marketed under either Luca or Luca Rubinacci brand. It will be made in Italy and from what I understand be "colorful" in nature. Suits, shirts, pants, and accessories will make up the line. I'm sure he is talking to other usual suspects about carrying the brand - Barney's, BG, Corso Como, Japanese dept stores, etc...

Let's hope he doesn't screw everything up.

 

[George]

****, I was half expecting Harold Lloyd to walk in...

 

[Kuro]

that intro flash page

 

[George]

Originally Posted by whnay.

I understand why they are going the mass market route - they've already tried it unsuccessfully in the late 90s. In order to keep quality high, LH only makes around 1,000 bespoke garments a year. Even if these are all dinner suits you can do the math, its not enough to sustain a "business". From what I can tell the bespoke operation is here to stay, more than half of the folks making the garments in Naples are under 40 years old and it remains the hallmark for Mariano. The clothing being sold at Harrods will be marketed under either Luca or Luca Rubinacci brand. It will be made in Italy and from what I understand be "colorful" in nature. Suits, shirts, pants, and accessories will make up the line. I'm sure he is talking to other usual suspects about carrying the brand - Barney's, BG, Corso Como, Japanese dept stores, etc... Let's hope he doesn't screw everything up.
I think they'll have to adopt this route as they won't survive just by being a bespoke tailoring operation alone. The problem I think isn't the quantity of customers, it's quantity of craftsmen able to produce enough product. They are finding themselves in exactly the same position that SR are. What they need to be careful of however, is that they don't turn into what the once venerable Gieves and Hawkes have become. It'll be interesting to watch.

 

[whnay.]

Originally Posted by George

I think they'll have to adopt this route as they won't survive just by being a bespoke tailoring operation alone.

The problem I think isn't the quantity of customers, it's quantity of craftsman able to produce enough product.

They are finding themselves in exactly the same position that SR are.

What they need to be careful of however, is that they don't turn into what the once venerable Gieves and Hawkes have become.

It'll be interesting to watch.
+1.

 

[Eustace Tilley]

As much as SF'ers don't like bespoke brands branching out into RTW, it does make the most business sense. The only way Huntsman survived in the 70s and 80s was due to its Japanese concessions.

If they allow their RTW line to morph into a Brioni or Kiton type of operation, while maintaining the integrity of their core bespoke offering, Rubinacci would have done very well for itself.

That being said, I don't like the website. This is a very high-end operation, and their website should reflect that.