Rag & Bone Resort 2020 – New York

(Images from the designer and the public domain. Credited to the photographer/company where applicable.)

Marcus Wainwright has released a solid collection for Rag & Bone Resort 2020, which feels more like a pre-fall array, but as discussed in my previous reviews of past showings, seasonal labeling has become meaningless over the years as fashion houses push out newer collections to keep up with the ire of fast fashion.  Still, the devil is in the details as Wainwright, an Englishman who brought Rag & Bone as an original idea to America in 2002, so it would be forgivable that one would assume the brand as solely an American company.  It isn't, but, Wainwright has cleverly worked the concept of 1990s American street and sport apparel in delivering a finer and better quality product, which in turn means an exclusivity. 

The English, which was actually the Scottish, created what could be seen as one of the most iconic of European fashion.  Tweed, derived from Scottish Tweel, it was the English in the 1830s who began to commercialize the Wool Mills, thus attaching the technical enterprise to the Tweel techniques, that later morphed into Tweed.  Embracing the weave techniques of Herringbone (zigzag weaving) and Twil (lined diagonal pattern), Wainwright has jammed this into his East and West Coast American 2020 collection with vigor.  Combining the historic English craftsmanship to American street styles, in time of the current rejuvenation of 90's fashion trends which are now filling up the clothing racks in most department stores.  Wainwright has added his Rag & Bone style and iconic UK fixture in reworking twenty year old trends aimed at todays 20 year olds, it is admirable sans the price tags, which may be the sticking point. 

A crisscross of formal and casual styles, set within  a relaxed and inviting collection. Keeping in line with the brands concepts, it isn't portraying itself as  high-end wear per se, but rather trying to maximize quality over the inundation of quantity.  However, I feel that Rag & Bone may find a better niche in increasing a more upmarket styled aspect, rather than the rawer street level portrayal.  Once again, fashion houses will need to keep up with Thrift shops and Fast Fashion outlets, with the later able to undercut the second hand clothing shops.  It should be reminded that the match and mix of 90s styles of post grudge and hip hop fashion (back in the day) were bought on a shoestring budget.