Rag & Bone founder Marcus Wainwright slams politicisation of fashion after Trump became president
On the 15th anniversary of the New York brand, its chief executive says it is “horrific” and “ridiculous” that “people are afraid to say who they would or wouldn’t dress, or that they are making clothes in Mexico versus America”
How has the company and business evolved over the past 15 years? “We’ve learned a lot. We’ve always had a strong thread in what we do: it’s been rooted in British tailoring, men’s tailoring, American workwear, military clothing – the British-American mix that’s reflected in my life. A strong influence of men’s tailoring in women’s clothes. We’ve been very lucky but it’s not been easy. It’s not like we’re a bulletproof business and we’ve figured it out and no one else has. You have to think and pre-empt.”
Rag & Bone has largely escaped the United States’ retail woes. how has it done so? “I wouldn’t say retail is easy right now. We’re lucky in some ways as we’re quite diverse. We have men’s, women’s, jeans and core classics business, as well as shoes and bags. We have wholesale and retail, so it balances things out. The drive to impulse-buy without having a connection to something is not as strong anymore. Today people really have the yearning for something authentic, luxury and small. That’s why I think big luxury might be suffering.”
There’s been a politicisation of fashion since Donald Trump was elected, as seen at the last New York Fashion Week. is this a good or bad thing? “Is it good that fashion has become so political? No, of course not, it’s horrific. It’s ridiculous – that pretty much sums up what’s wrong with the whole situation: the fact that people are afraid to say who they would or wouldn’t dress, or afraid to say that they are making clothes in Mexico versus America.”