Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/310878
OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY C2 PHOTOGRAPHY F ashion designer and avid skier aren't necessarily vocations that are naturally paired. But Rag & Bone managing partners David Neville and Marcus Wainwright welcome the juxtaposition. "I recently skied Highland Bowl, which was pretty serious," Wainwright says. Adds Neville, who skis in Aspen and Beaver Creek, "It's really beautiful, and the food is also so good." While the duo may be British-born and New York-based, opening up a brick-and-mortar location of their wildly successful brand in a colder clime was always part of the master plan. "Marcus and I love ski resorts. We love the idea of having a Rag & Bone store with lots of snow on the roof," Neville says. "Aspen is an iconic town with a really dynamic retail scene." For a brand that prides itself on ultraf lattering silhouettes and eye-catching fabrics, finding the right location in town was of utmost importance. "Our stores must resonate with us on a personal level, and this space does," says Neville of the store's corner location on East Hyman Avenue. The interiors are almost as beautiful as the garments themselves: Fixtures were custom made at the Rag & Bone studio in Brooklyn, and vintage finds like French "un-upholstered" chairs are accented with Japanese indigo throws. Shoppers can expect gear that's functional and stylish. "Think scarves, beanies, gloves, knitwear, and outerwear," explains Neville. And for those looking to impress off the slopes, the fall collection—inspired by 1950s silhou- ettes—features cropped and boxy jackets, bowling-style shirts, and pencil skirts. "We also played around with buffalo plaid and reinterpreted British, traditionally masculine, heritage Abraham Moon fabrications," says Wainwright. And the muted palette seems tailor-made for the Aspen land- scape. "We steered away from black," Neville says, "and went for deep tones of brown, green, navy, and almond, then added jolts of red, which really works." Since launching its first store in New York in 2008, the label has grown to 15 locations worldwide and includes men's and women's ready-to-wear lines, footwear, denim, and handbags. While their success is enviable, the designers remain circumspect about the future. "The plan is to keep doing what we're doing," Neville says, "to get better at it and grow our business, all the while remaining authentic in everything we do." His partner concurs: "We are appreciative for all we've achieved as two English guys in New York who came from non-fashion backgrounds. We still feel there's so much potential for the brand." 433 E. Hyman Ave., 970-925-2816; rag-bone.com AP David Neville and Marcus Wainwright (LEFT) selected a corner retail space as the Aspen location for Rag & Bone. Custom-made fixtures (OPPOSITE PAGE) display the fall collection and year-round staple items such as this Dunaway hat (RIGHT, $195). New York by Way of Aspen URBANCHIC BRAND RAG & BONE OPENS ITS FIRST STORE ON THE SLOPES THIS YEAR. BY JULIET IZON STYLE SETTER ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM 117 116-117_AP_SS_StyleSetter_V2_SUM_FALL_14.indd 117 5/6/14 4:12 PM