IYBC Meets Rag & Bone #1: History

The Calgary Flagship Holt Renfrew recently had the honor and privelage of hosting two of the biggest names in the Fashion Industry right now. They are what’s happening, they are setting the trends, they are gaining a cult following with international celebrities. And they are the coolest guys I’ve ever met.

Marcus Wainwright and David Neville graced the store on August 26, 2010, and held an impromtu Product Knowledge session for both the clients present and for the associates on shift. They both met when David was 13, in a boarding school in England. It was a military style academy which was originally constructed to house the orphans of war heros. David laughed as he mentioned that Markus used to bully him during their time at school. They both graduated and went about their different business paths. Markus ended up in Mexico where he met a girl, fell in love, and chased her to New York City, where he started designing men’s jeans, and later married this girl. David was running away for a different girl in London and decided to join Marcus in New York. Thus began the story of Rag & Bone.

David describes his brand as the fusion between Menswear military tailoring and NYC downtown cool. They have a unique point of view, and pride their clothes to be indisposable, and not trend-driven. They strive to make their collection feel effortless, and something which people feel good in. Markus spoke on how they both entered the industry with no training, no experience, no “Parsons”, and they don’t believe in trends or in fashion. They believe in quality; their fabric comes from Japan, their zippers are Swiss, and the buttons from Germany. Their clothes are exclusively made in the United States and their pricepoints are backed up by all this and many more.