Last weekend my assistant Ta'ri and my best friend Akim and I stumbled upon a relatively new retail joint in the Village called Rag & Bone. The company is not new, but the location opened in the village is. I don't get to the village often so I had no idea this spot opened last fall. We walked in to take a look around and immediately fell in love with the vibe of the store and the garments as well.

The store is NOT recession priced at all! However, for those of you who are NOT artists and can afford to treat yourself to great quality clothes with a price to match, it's your patriotic duty to keep the economy rolling buying dropping some hard earned euros and dollars at Rag & Bone. You can style yourself like a hipster or rock star with pieces from their spring/summer 2009 collection. The price range isn't very pedestrian, but neither is the quality. Throw in the fact that they don't overproduce each piece and you wont have to worry about showing up at a party and finding out that someone else is wearing the same rags you are. That's a very unlikely occurrence if you shop at Rag & Bone. I thought long and hard about this post before I did it due to the recession, but even in these hard times it's nice for those who can still afford it to treat themselves to a quality made garment that is made to last.

About The Company

Founded in 2002, Rag & Bone had one very clear vision in mind: to make clothes that they and their friends would love to wear everyday. With no formal fashion training, rag & bone set about learning how to make jeans. They believed that denim represented the history, authenticity and fundamentals of classic work wear that they would strive to reflect in their designs.

Beginning in Kentucky, Rag & Bone surrounded themselves with people who had been making patterns, cutting fabric and sewing their whole lives. Working with these kinds of craftsmen taught them the importance of quality, craftsmanship and attention to detail early on.

These principles soon became the keystones of the Rag & Bone philosophy, the definition of what clothing can and should be. With these principles in mind, rag & bone chose to center all of their manufacturing in U.S. factories that still sew clothes the same way they did 50 years ago.

Rag & Bone launched their men's line in Spring 2004 and expanded the label to offer a full women's collection by Fall 2005. The Fall Winter 2007 season marked the introduction of Rag & Bone accessories for both men and women, adding a touch of style and distinction to their tailored looks. Guided by a strong British tailoring influence, Rag & Bone produces classic yet modern sportswear for men and women that is known for being understated and wearable. Each piece, whether it be a tailored shirt or a pair of jeans, is framed by the constants of high quality fabric, classic construction and perfect fit with a handmade feel.

The Name

A century-old British fixture, the rag and bone man was known for practicing the first form of recycling. The rag and bone man would travel by horse and cart (traditionally a Shire or Clydesdale), circling the neighborhood in search of scrap metal, old furniture, wood or anything else that he could sell or reuse to support himself. Children would come running at the shouts of “rag and bone” to collect sweets and candies in exchange for the items they loaded onto his cart.

Garbage collection began to supplant the rag and bone trade by the late 1970s, and today there are very few rag and bone men. As an homage to their pioneering ingenuity and conservation, Rag & Bone derived their name from this legendary practice.

The New York locations

* Armonk
* Brooklyn
* East Hampton
* Greenvale
* Hewlett
* Manhasset
* New York
* Roslyn
* Rye
* Scarsdale
* West Hampton
* White Plains

The Village location

Here are some shots I took at the Christopher Street location.

The store is located at:
100 Christopher Street.
New York, NY 10014
www.rag-Bone.com

(Michael was quite helpful. He is wearing the rag & bone tie that Justin Timberlake is wearing on the current issue of GQ Magzine).

Excerpts from the Spring/Summer 2009 Collection