The Official RRL Thread

[dfagdfsh]



All I mean is that a lot of the detailing that goes into creating a RRL demin is done by hand - things like hand-setting buckle backs and the extensive chain stitching which is common throughout. Also, the washing, fading, sanding, distressing and repairing (not to mention spattering) of certain styles is a pretty involved process which is also done by hand.
If you can pick up BNWT RRL denim on eBay for $70 - $100 (which I have done several times) then its an absolute bargain. If you have to wait for a sale to buy it direct from RL then that's awesome too. Personally, it's rare (but no unheard of) that I have $250+ to drop on a pair of jeans but if I did, and knowing what its like, I would buy RRL.

washed RRL is an excellent deal on ebay, but for $400+ retail? no thanks.

and all of those 'details' aren't necessarily hand sewn (as in, one person using a sewing machine), and even if they are, you can make the same argument about any other number of jeans.

look, I like RRL denim. I wear a pair almost every day. I'm just saying that it's not particularly interesting or special denim, and because of that it's not worth $240 at retail when for the same price or a little more you can get something much, much nicer.

 

[hoit1981]



washed RRL is an excellent deal on ebay, but for $400+ retail? no thanks.
and all of those 'details' aren't necessarily hand sewn (as in, one person using a sewing machine), and even if they are, you can make the same argument about any other number of jeans.
look, I like RRL denim. I wear a pair almost every day. I'm just saying that it's not particularly interesting or special denim, and because of that it's not worth $240 at retail when for the same price or a little more you can get something much, much nicer.

 

[hoit1981]



will be going to a sample sale next week. last year, they had a few RRL items but they all sucked. hopefully they have some good pieces this time around.

Which sale is this? SH? Or is it a secret...

 

[RRL CLOTHING]

We can all agree RRL jeans are much greater quality than Nudie, APC, or mall-brand raw jeans that go for $180+ (SFMK, All Saints, Diesel, etc.) Hidden copper rivets, chainstitched hems, *** selvedge make them a great deal in the world of designer denim. RKK, Hoit and Ghost touched on some of the points I was going to make. Nudies base raws are $180 and sell very well. There is no reason to sell something for less than it's worth, or less than the market can handle. If you think you can get better jeans for $240 then go for it, just don't expect RRL prices to come down because you feel they're not worth it.

Don't forget RRL jeans are also designer, so they shouldn't be compared with Japanese heritage labels found in small boutiques and online shops. The people who sell these brands have lower operating costs and smaller scale economy so they can offer lower price points and make smaller profits. With RRL you pay for added prestige and exclusivity you won't find with a brand like PBJ, Big Johns or whatever Self Edge and BiG is selling. Plus having heavier denim doesn't make it inherently higher quality nor would many of us want to wear heavy, uncomfortable 17 or 18oz jeans year round. I live in SoFla where it's 90 degrees for 8 months out of the year. Anything outside the 12-14oz range I would avoid wearing altogether.

Denim arguments are as pointless as arguing that you can buy a GT-R, ZR1, ACR viper for 1/3rd the cost of a Lambo, R8 or Ferrari and get virtually the same level of performance from the cheaper cars, doesn't mean Italian or German makers should drop their prices to be more in line with their competition, especially when their sales are doing great. You can also buy a Oris wristwatch that has the same, identical ETA movement as the ones found in Tag and Omega, for 5-10x less.

 

[RRL CLOTHING]

Oh yeah, found 1 Fall Icon flannel and 1 RRL tobacco shirt at the Polo store.

Went to Barney's outlet where they're having 30% off on all red-line prices. They had only a couple RRL jeans that were going for $85ish after discount. Olive and grey washes, that are in sizes 28-30w and some tops and jackets that were also 30% off. YMMV.

 

[dfagdfsh]



We can all agree RRL jeans are much greater quality than Nudie, APC, or mall-brand raw jeans that go for $180+ (SFMK, All Saints, Diesel, etc.) Hidden copper rivets, chainstitched hems, *** selvedge make them a great deal in the world of designer denim. RKK, Hoit and Ghost touched on some of the points I was going to make. Nudies base raws are $180 and sell very well. There is no reason to sell something for less than it's worth, or less than the market can handle. If you think you can get better jeans for $240 then go for it, just don't expect RRL prices to come down because you feel they're not worth it.

Don't forget RRL jeans are also designer, so they shouldn't be compared with Japanese heritage labels found in small boutiques and online shops. The people who sell these brands have lower operating costs and smaller scale economy so they can offer lower price points and make smaller profits. With RRL you pay for added prestige and exclusivity you won't find with a brand like PBJ, Big Johns or whatever Self Edge and BiG is selling. Plus having heavier denim doesn't make it inherently higher quality nor would many of us want to wear heavy, uncomfortable 17 or 18oz jeans year round. I live in SoFla where it's 90 degrees for 8 months out of the year. Anything outside the 12-14oz range I would avoid wearing altogether.

Denim arguments are as pointless as arguing that you can buy a GT-R, ZR1, ACR viper for 1/3rd the cost of a Lambo, R8 or Ferrari and get virtually the same level of performance from the cheaper cars, doesn't mean Italian or German makers should drop their prices to be more in line with their competition, especially when their sales are doing great. You can also buy a Oris wristwatch that has the same, identical ETA movement as the ones found in Tag and Omega, for 5-10x less.

come on dude, you know this is nonsense. you could even say PBJ is more exclusive because it's a lot harder to buy.

 

[burningbright]

Based on my own personal experience, I have to agree with Teger (and if I had to guess, so would the majority of denim aficionados on Sufu) about the quality and price point of RRL denim.

I'll drop $300 on a pair of Samurais 10 times out of 10 before I'd spend it on RRL denim. The quality and construction is above and beyond anything RRL puts out. I've got a pair of 17 oz Samurais from 2005 commemorating the victory of the Hanshin Tigers that still look amazing after 7 years of everyday wear. On the other hand, I bought a pair of RRL selvage bootcuts around the same time (for $89.99 no less) and I had to chuck them after about 3 years of wear because the crotch blew out along with the stitching in several places.

Don't get me wrong, I like certain RRL pieces but I just can't get into their denim, especially when it's been hand-sanded and all that crap, but that's just personal preference.

I do find it a little ironic that you have the Americans and Brits buying up all the Japanese houses and all these Japanese sellers coming and buying up all the US-made RRL stuff.

Anyway, let's kiss and make-up and get back to talking about style stuff.

 

[Dave_SFU]

Can we stop comparing RRL to Samurai? Sure Samurai has heavier denim but their fits are awful for a person of my build. Samurai doesnt work for the skinny dude

 

[burningbright]

Unless you're like a size 25 or something, there's a lot of skinny dudes on Sufu that would beg to differ, Dave.

In fact, I'd say it's safe to bet that they're all in the 28-32 waist range. What cuts have you tried?

 

[RRL CLOTHING]

If I could get 3 years out of a pair of ~$250 raw jeans I would be completely satisfied. After the 2nd year I'd be looking to break in a new pair anyway. If you want to spend $300 on jeans that will last 10 years that's great too, but you have to pay more up front to get a better value in the long run. Also, if you have multiple jeans in rotation like I do, then you can still get many years of use out of any one pair of jeans.

Remember the denim used is only a part of the construction process. Where it is made, price point, the brand image, fit and finish are also important. If you want to support jeans manufactured in the USA from a highly reputable fashion house then it's hard to go wrong with RRL even at $250. They are damn good jeans.

Japanese dudes beast over RRL raws even though they can buy obviously superior labels in Japan for cheaper. It comes down to what people want and what they find arousing and exotic.

 

[dfagdfsh]



If I could get 3 years out of a pair of ~$250 raw jeans I would be completely satisfied. After the 2nd year I'd be looking to break in a new pair anyway. If you want to spend $300 on jeans that will last 10 years that's great too, but you have to pay more up front to get a better value in the long run. Also, if you have multiple jeans in rotation like I do, then you can still get many years of use out of any one pair of jeans.

Remember the denim used is only a part of the construction process. Where it is made, price point, the brand image, fit and finish are also important. If you want to support jeans manufactured in the USA from a highly reputable fashion house then it's hard to go wrong with RRL even at $250. They are damn good jeans.

Japanese dudes beast over RRL raws even though they can buy obviously superior labels in Japan for cheaper. It comes down to what people want and what they find arousing and exotic.

no offense, but I don't think you know a lot about denim.

couple points:

1. longevity is not a function of quality, it's a function of construction, weight and fit. $10 jeans from walmart can last 10 years.
2. there's nothing special about where RRL denim is made or the fit -- almost every other Japanese brand in the same price point has the same, if not better, credentials.
3. you keep throwing out things like 'brand image' and 'highly reputable fashion house.' these things aren't real -- they're marketing. and, if for a minute, we're going to pretend like brand presence matters, then RRL, as a sub division of a multi billion dollar entity, has far less 'credentials' than PBJ or Samurai or Sugarcane. you could even go so far as to say that RRL is exploiting the market created by these niche brands, and is using their superior resources to drive them out. I'm happy that you buy into RRL's brand cache, but it has no real significance other than inflating the price of the jeans and making you feel like you're buying an exclusive product (when you're not)
4. you keep talking about how popular RRL is in japan. I kind of doubt that. I also don't really think that says anything... naked & famous is IMMENSELY popular in japan (I don't see RRL doing collabs with oni and flat head.. only, what, beams?) and N&F denim isn't that special. I'm not sure how this is relevant...

my point is that by pricing their denim at $240+, RRL is competing with japanese labels that offer a better product.

 

[dfagdfsh]

also since when is popularity the metric for anything on this forum? the premise of this website is that most people dress poorly and know nothing about clothes.

 

[Dave_SFU]



If I could get 3 years out of a pair of ~$250 raw jeans I would be completely satisfied. After the 2nd year I'd be looking to break in a new pair anyway. If you want to spend $300 on jeans that will last 10 years that's great too, but you have to pay more up front to get a better value in the long run. Also, if you have multiple jeans in rotation like I do, then you can still get many years of use out of any one pair of jeans.

Remember the denim used is only a part of the construction process. Where it is made, price point, the brand image, fit and finish are also important. If you want to support jeans manufactured in the USA from a highly reputable fashion house then it's hard to go wrong with RRL even at $250. They are damn good jeans.

Japanese dudes beast over RRL raws even though they can buy obviously superior labels in Japan for cheaper. It comes down to what people want and what they find arousing and exotic.

Everyone I know in Japan wears American made jeans. Last time my band went over most of them thought I was crazy for getting Japanese jeans

 

[dfagdfsh]

that's why a lot of japanese make their denim in america. sugarcane, etc..

 

[burningbright]



If I could get 3 years out of a pair of ~$250 raw jeans I would be completely satisfied. After the 2nd year I'd be looking to break in a new pair anyway. If you want to spend $300 on jeans that will last 10 years that's great too, but you have to pay more up front to get a better value in the long run. Also, if you have multiple jeans in rotation like I do, then you can still get many years of use out of any one pair of jeans.

Remember the denim used is only a part of the construction process. Where it is made, price point, the brand image, fit and finish are also important. If you want to support jeans manufactured in the USA from a highly reputable fashion house then it's hard to go wrong with RRL even at $250. They are damn good jeans.

Japanese dudes beast over RRL raws even though they can buy obviously superior labels in Japan for cheaper. It comes down to what people want and what they find arousing and exotic.

Yeah, but really this could be said about any Amekaji/Heritage stuff made in the US, not just RRL denim.

On a different note: from the Samurai Take 5 Contest:



All virgin, non-sandpapered raw denim aged to perfection.