Rag & Bone is turning 20 this year, but without much of the brouhaha that other brands celebrating anniversaries this season have orchestrated for the occasion. Founder Marcus Wainwright will host a dinner party tonight at Carbone, where friends of the label will wear the new fall collection. He’ll raise a glass to the milestone and make the point that he has been driving home for the better part of five years, since leaving the runway behind: that Rag & Bone is for real life.
For fall, Wainwright recommitted to that message, introducing a collection of essentials that the brand is calling Icons, around which the rest of the offering is built. “It galvanized the way we think about things,” Wainwright said of the initiative. “We’ve always thought about [our business] that way, but we haven’t always clearly articulated that we have a perfect trench, or a perfect Breton stripe sweater, or a perfect Western shirt. Pulling that out all the way from design through marketing has helped us be clear about what Rag & Bone is.”
That doesn’t mean there aren’t subtle changes from one season to the next. Shoppers have moved beyond COVID sweatpants and the post-pandemic honeymoon period that had them splashing out on party clothes. Rag & Bone’s jacket business is picking up with people finally going back to the office—isn’t it about time? So you’ll see a return to tailoring. The houndstooth coat Irina Shayk wears in the women’s look book is sharp, as is the men’s version. Wainwright also made room for a little fun. The creature stamped on the rear waistband of a pair of leather pants is the logo of Fox Racing, an extreme-sports lifestyle brand that has nearly 30 years on Rag & Bone. Cheers to the next 20.
