RAG & BONE SPRING SUMMER 2020 COLLECTION – NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

Rag & Bone unveiled a new concept to celebrate its return to New York Fashion Week, with a showcase of the brand’s spring/summer 2020 collection. The decommissioned stock exchange trading floor at Skylight on Vesey, provided an iconic New York backdrop for an experience that furthers the brands focus on challenging the status quo.

Rag & Bone was born out the desire to create unique products and experiences through the fusion of contrasting aesthetics. No stranger to breaking the mold, the proposition of the brand was brought to life through the collaboration of creative forces tapped from the worlds of fashion, music and technology. This new experience saw each of these disciplines collide while working in perfect harmony.

Drummers Joey Waronker and Mauro Refosco (Atoms For Peace) spotlit on center stage set the tone with The Brooklyn Youth Chorus while two dancers brought the vision of Choreographer Damien Jalet (Suspiria, Anima) to life through movement across the circular runway.

In contrast to the flowing human movements of the performers, a UR10 robot joined the moment, slowly awaking and observing the audience and performers. Together man and machine moved in sync, with video captured by the robot using a live action feed and point cloud capture (computer vision). Broadcast in realtime on screens throughout the space the robotic arm and dual-camera techniques provided the audience with a novel way to see the show.

The Rag & Bone SS20 collection is a journey through different aesthetics and an exploration of brand tenets, American workwear, English inspired tailoring, military and sport. The fusion of these contrasting silhouettes, fabrications and color creates an unexpected mix, resulting in an eclectic offering that is uniquely Rag & Bone.

The attitude of the brand is brought to life through the focus on effortless, easy wearing pieces. With function at the forefront, each stand on their own or mashed up with opposing silhouettes and reference points to provide the wearer with a uniform-like expression of their individuality.

Intentionally swaying away from defining gender, the focus is shifted to the unique identity of each character—with the entirety of the men’s and women’s collections used to create the looks.

The collection opens with bold tailoring and knitwear, refreshed through the use of banker stripes and regalia inspired detailing. Masculine mixes with feminine through the use of oversized Savile Row-esque silhouettes, while tennis sweaters are reconditioned in fisherman-rib knits with bold regalia v-neck stripes, providing versatile pieces for the wearer.

Lighter technical fabrications, layered with scarf-like angular monochrome graphics are seen across dresses, underpinnings and skirts while the brand’s expertise in denim is apparent through the use of washed Japanese selvedge in jeans, shorts, shirting and gilets.

Track style striping and Hawaiian floral-camo prints add pops of color and contrast to the soft hues of Japanese military worked into the offering. Safety orange further brightens the palette with flashes in jackets and pants while soft pinstripe tailoring and seam sealed lightweight outerwear add versatility and comfort from the elements.

The experience was delivered to the audience set to an unexpected musical fusion of the Waronker/Refocsco percussion and the eerily melodic tones of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, with a rendition of Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman” accompanying the models through the finale.
“Contrasts & Perspectives” was designed to animate the Rag & Bone aesthetic, while amplifying the brand values of creating authentic and innovative experiences through the fusion of contrasting disciplines.