The death of Rag & Bone jeans?

[Captain Winky]

I was walking through Barney's today and meandered over to the Rag & Bone section and assumed some items were on the wrong rack. They weren't. They're now doing washed denim, with RB15s that resemble Gap stone washed jeans from 1994 and RB23s in what looks like almost an acid wash. The subtle elegance of their previous seasons' denim appears to be gone.

I miss the days when the jeans were uncommon, and they did different denims in a one-wash, resin sprayed variety in diverse fits. This stuff just doesn't fit with the brand's core aesthetic, and I'm really not a fan. I'm not a raw-only person when it comes to denim, but this stuff isn't subtle and classy the way the original stuff was.

 

[Razele]

R+B is pretty gone dude.

 

[poly800rock]

it's pretty sad. they had the premium market by the balls in 04, just their loss.

 

[Captain Winky]

Originally Posted by Razele

R+B is pretty gone dude.

I was still buying it less than a year ago. I got a pair of raws and a pair of resin coated with grey weft (think they were called Shiny Indigo), both of which I really liked. This was just sad.

 

[Razele]

Originally Posted by poly800rock

it's pretty sad. they had the premium market by the balls in 04, just their loss.
Yeah it was the darling of SF for some time. Too bad. It seems an endless cycle though, make a name on 'quality' then when you develop the brand cachet just dump decent production and increase your margins.

 

[Captain Winky]

Originally Posted by Razele

Yeah it was the darling of SF for some time.

Too bad.

It seems an endless cycle though, make a name on 'quality' then when you develop the brand cachet just dump decent production and increase your margins.

Guess I can look forward to the day when I find light washed 3sixteen stationed between the Joes and Citizens at Nordstrom...

 

[hboogz]

I have a pair i bought from odin 3 years ago. They are the softest denim i own and sourced from the cone mills in north carolina. I hardly wear them anymore and might just let them go..maybe.

A shame they have resorted to releasing crap when it comes to denim.

 

[Captain Winky]

An affiliation with Theory seems to be the kiss of death for once-proud brands. Isn't this what ultimately killed Helmut Lang (jeans still debatably good, other stuff absolute ****). What else do they own/did they destroy?

 

[the shah]

yes theory got their filthy hands all over it and taught them new marketing/managements skills = use name to sell cheap trash at high price

 

[sho'nuff]

i still like rag and bone cardigans, knits and casual coats and stuff. i never liked their jeans, the tight thin weave of the denim didnt appeal to me.

 

[jet]

I like how I posted two yeras ago that theory bought them and everyone was like no they didn't.

I predicted this **** then and everything they've put out since has been garbage.

 

[Captain Winky]

Originally Posted by jet

I like how I posted two yeras ago that theory bought them and everyone was like no they didn't. I predicted this **** then and everything they've put out since has been garbage.
I first realized this when I began seeing R&B in the Theory outlet store at Cabazon. I connected the dots from there. The real shame is that before then, it was much harder to size/fit R&B because of some odd cuts and consistency issues (oh, and the fact that at first size 32x34 and any odd waist sizes didn't exist). There was like a year-long sweet spot where they had both the fit and quality, and then **** got fucked up. I remember my first pair, in '06: They were RB1, the belt loops weren't properly tacked down, and one of the owners personally answered my emails and fixed the problem (by not only replacing the jeans, but by sending me the RB6 instead, since the RB1 wasn't the right fit for me). Also love the interview where the founders refused to answer the question about what they felt would be the next trend in jeans, since they didn't see denim as a "trend item," only to put this **** out the following season.

 

[justtemple]

Back when I started becoming more active around here I purchased a few shirts and a jacket from S/S09 and I really liked it. I wasn't so impressed with the price spike and the looks of F/W09.

 

[Stylin-1]

I ordered a pair from revolve a couple years ago and didn't like the waxy treatment and thin denim on that particular pair, so back they went. Think they were RB11. Wish I'd tried some of their other ones.

 

[blank]

I need a pair of dressy jeans, and this is still the only brand I'd really want to buy.