HOUYHNHNM

I remain faithful to what I want to create.

Be True, Be Authentic

I'm sure many of our readers are familiar with Rag & Bone, but can you tell us more about how the brand started out making jeans for yourself?

- It may be already well-known among our readers, but could you please tell us again the details of the story of how the brand rag & bone started? with making your very personal pair of jeans?

Wainwright.Of course. I didn't start out with the idea of starting a brand; most of the denim brands on the market in 2001 were heritage brands, and the only designer jeans I could find were Logan's. Jeans were so important to me as an everyday item that they were all I would wear. Jeans were so important to me, so essential to my everyday wear that I would only wear them, that I decided to create an ideal pair.

I did not study fashion, nor did I know anything professional about it. I even thought all clothes were made in China (laughs). So I did a lot of research and approached a factory in Hong Kong to make jeans, but had no luck at all. After further research, I found a well-established denim factory in Tompkinsville, Kentucky, that had a history of about half a century. I immediately contacted them and my jeans-making process began. I went to a denim factory in Tompkinsville, Kentucky, where local women had been sewing jeans for many years, and for the first time I learned how jeans are made.

At the same time, I learned that there are various types of denim other than "Cone Mills" denim, and that there is almost no other denim in the U.S. that can be called authentic. Then I came across denim from Kaihara in Japan. I remember how excited I was. I remember how excited I was. I spent the next 18 months going to the factory and witnessing the entire production process until I found my ideal pair. It was an amazing experience to see what authenticity was all about.

Wainwright.In 2001, most of the brands in stores at that time were so-called heritage brands, and pretty much the only designer jeans brand out there was Rogan. For me personally, jeans were an incredibly important everyday item, so much so that they were pretty much the only thing I ever wore back then. That's why I decided I wanted to make the perfect pair.

I'd never studied fashion before, and I had no technical knowledge whatsoever. (LOL) So I researched various things, and then even though I wanted to make jeans at a factory in Hong Kong, things just didn't go well. When I did some more research, and I found out that there's a denim factory in Tompkinsville, Kentucky that's been in I reached out to them right away, and we started making my jeans together. The local women there have been sewing jeans for a long time, but for me, it was the first time I'd ever seen the process for making them.

"Cone Mills" is the most common type, but I realized that there are actually a lot of other different denim fabrics, and at the At that time, I encountered Japan's "Kaihara" denim. At that time, I encountered Japan's "Kaihara" denim. "This is it!" I still remember how excited I got. After that, it took an astonishing 18 months to make my ideal jeans. During that time, I visited the factory and saw all the processes for myself. I still remember how excited I got.

How would you define authenticity for you?

- How do you understand and define authenticity personally?

Wainwright.For example, Kaihara's denim is authentic. The 30-inch wide selvedge denim developed by Cone Mills and woven on a shuttle loom is also authentic. Or the indigo-dyed denim using real indigo, which I was attracted to at first sight. All of these are sincere designs that do not lie about the purpose for which they were made, but for me, the definition of "authentic" does not refer to the finished "object" itself, Rather, it is the passion and philosophy to create something authentic, and the process of realizing it, in other words, the thought process itself.

This is the opposite of the capitalist pursuit of economic efficiency and rationality. As a result of trying to make jeans more quickly, cheaply, and in large quantities, American jeans manufacturing has lost its authenticity. Ironically, such capitalist, efficiency-oriented manufacturing is now beginning to look prehistoric. What is interesting, on the other hand, is that Japanese companies such as Kaihara and Kuroki have purchased the shuttle looms that the U.S. gave up and taken over the tradition. In Japan, there is still a deep understanding and respect for traditional manufacturing.

Wainwright.The shuttle looms producing selvage denim in 30 inch widths that developed "Cone Mills" are of course authentic as well. In addition, the deep indigo dye I fell in love with is too. I think all of these have an honesty and sincerity in the way they're made for a purpose, but for me personally, the definition of authentic isn't about I think all of these have an honesty and sincerity in the way they're made for a purpose, but for me personally, the definition of authentic isn't about the actual completed items themselves, but rather the philosophy and passion to make the real thing. I also think it's about the process of achieving that, or rather the thought process that goes into it.

With people focusing on producing large quantities at lower costs, jeans in the United States have lost their authenticity. And in an ironic twist, this capitalist efficiency approach to manufacturing has begun to seem backward. On the other hand, what's really interesting to me is that Japanese companies like "Kaihara" and "Kuroki" are buying up to the point where they can no longer afford to buy jeans. On the other hand, what really interesting to me is that Japanese companies like "Kaihara" and "Kuroki" are buying up the shuttle looms abandoned by US companies and carrying on that tradition. I really respect the deep understanding of traditional craftsmanship these Japanese companies have.

Do your experiences at the factory in Kentucky still have an influence on Rag & Bone's manufacturing process?

- Is the experience you gain from making jeans with the factory in Kentuckey still crucial to yourself and the brand's philosophy behind manufacturing?

Wainwright.: of course. The old factory, the craftsmen sewing jeans with their lives, the best fabrics, the beauty of real indigo dyeing.... That experience taught me the importance of staying true to what I want to make, and also taught me how difficult it is. It also taught me about the true meaning of craftsmanship and authenticity. All of our ideas about making things have been shaped by this experience, and the ideal of authenticity is at the heart of everything we do at Rag & Bone, and not just denim.

Wainwright.In an old factory, watching the practiced hand of craftsmen who've spent their whole lives sewing jeans, the best fabrics, and the beauty of genuine indigo dye. From my experiences then, I learned how important it is to always be sincere about the product you want to make, and also how difficult that is. It also taught me what craftsmanship and authenticity are really all about. Our thought process regarding all of our manufacturing arose from that experience, and that authentic ideal is at the heart of not just the jeans we make at rag & bone, but everything we do.

Is this also true of your campaign ads? Rag & Bone seems to have a unique philosophy in its advertising expression and methods, such as its early campaigns that skillfully used social media.

- Including the campaigns? rag & bone was one of the earliest adopters in the fashion industry who utilized the power of social media into a rag & bone was one of the earliest adopters in the fashion industry who utilized the power of social media into a campaign with a keen originality in expression and approach, which I believe is rather progressive than authentic.

Wainwright.We want to do something different from others in whatever we do, and we never want to do anything that lies not only to ourselves but also to our users. That's my idea of authenticity. The first campaign was the standard casting for so-called fashion ads, with Kate Moss as the model and Craig McDean as the photographer. But I told them at the beginning that I didn't want to do it the same way as my usual campaigns.

It was shot on the streets of London, all on film in natural light, with no lighting. Of course, there was almost no post-processing. I also had Glen Luchford use film for a subsequent campaign. In any case, I wanted to create images with a high degree of purity, without any artificial manipulation.

Wainwright.We always try to do something different from everyone else, and we never want to do anything that could deceive our customers. In our first campaign, we chose Kate Moss to be our model, and hired Craig McDean to be our photographer. But the two of them told us they didn't want to do our campaign in the same way as other companies.

With the streets of London as the setting, all the photos were taken with natural lighting, with no additional lights used. Of course, there were almost no post-process touch ups after the fact either. For the campaign after that, Glen Luchford took film photographs for us. Anyway, I wanted to make a pure image for the brand, without any deceptive maneuvering.

In other words, the process itself should be authentic, the same philosophy as jeans.

- Meaning that you believe that the process itself has to be authentic, the same as how you perceive jeans-making.

Wainwright.Rag & Bone: Yes, that's right. What we want to convey in the campaign is not the image of the Rag & Bone brand, but our approach, which is common to all of our creations. We believe that the authenticity of our approach will result in a different kind of appeal, which will lead to the Rag & Bone character.

This season, we used real people we really admire as models, but instead of imposing a look, we let the wearers themselves choose the clothes, and they chose locations where they felt comfortable. Who wouldn't want Harvey Keitel to do something fake (laughs)? It's not our style to fabricate "fiction" to promote a brand. We would be happy if the result is something that gives a unique perspective and speaks to people.

Wainwright.What I'm trying to express with our campaigns is not rag & bone's brand image but rather the approach we take to all of our work here. I believe that the authenticity of our approach leads to a different appeal that you don't find elsewhere, and that's what makes rag & bone unique. I believe that the authenticity of our approach leads to a different appeal that you don't find elsewhere, and that's what makes rag & bone unique.

In the current season, I'm using people that I respect who are really genuine. I mean, no one can make a guy like Harvey Keitel do something fake, right? (LOL) Creating a framework of deception as a means for promoting the brand is something I'll never do. As a result, I hope people will feel something unique in our products, and they can become a way expressing a message to people.