1. Recently, men’s fashion brands have been fixated with all things vintage. From Levi’s
‘Made and Crafted’ to Paul Smith, men’s fashion and denim has pushed forward by looking
back. One such brand is Ralph Lauren diffusion line, RRL. Trading in on Ralph Lauren’s
unimitable status as perhaps the ultimate American outfitter, RRL draws on a heritage that is
instrinsically linked to the United States. Focusing on vintage construction and design, RRL
comes at a time where Americana (think blue jeans, white tees, stars and stripes) is more in
fashion than ever.Founded in 1993, RRL begun with a focus on authenticity. Attempting to
recreate garments from their own back catalogue, as well as a number of other archive
sources, RRL wanted to draw upon the golden age of denim. But for RRL, this was never
merely about design – it was also about fabric and construction. All made in the USA, RRL
utilise rare machinery and near forgotten techniques to attempt to capture their vision of
vintage American denim.
And they know their stuff. For any denim buffs out there, RRL uses long fiber cotton which
they then ring spin into yarn, rather than the modern technique of open ended spinning. The
result (for those who are not so meticulous about their jeans) is a finish that is naturally
inconsistent, making each pair unique – just like if you were to pick up a pair from a vintage
shop. The jeans are then dyed by passing them through several dye baths, in order to gain a
rich indigo colour that any denim connoiseur would be proud to wear. The denim itself is all
selvedge denim (perhaps the most fashionable type of denim at the moment), woven on
vintage looms in denim mecca, Japan. But RRL have expanded beyond just denim to a whole
line of vintage inspired pieces that are defined by the same attention to detail. It is a slim
collection, but actually this is appealing – RLL focuses on what it is good at. This is not for
the usual Ralph Lauren consumer, this appeals to those who know their stuff about clothing.
Besides denim, RLL also make great chinos, as well as jumpers with playful prints and a
number of work wear inspired pieces. It is well thought out, and appeals to the American
market, but with mid century American fashion returning with a vengeance, there is stuff here
for the rest of the world too.
And, if you are ever in one of the lucky American cities that has its own RRL store, you are
in for a treat. Meticulously themed, each store has its own unique vintage look that is as
thought out as the clothing itself. The LA store on Melrose is like a 1950s garage, whilst the
store in East Hampton, in a converted barn, looks like something from the gold rush era. RRL
have also recently opened a store in London’s Mount Street. It takes a bit of work to stand out
within the men’s denim wear industry, but RRL is a slow burner. It is the dark horse, a brand
that is slowly building itself up around a basis of intelligent clothing, attention to detail and
an obsession with all things American.
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Gary Kingsnorth
Editor
www.thestyleking.com

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