Rick Owens

[dji]

it's a mixed bag. my extended cashmere pieces from Moody were made in Italy, while the regular leather jackets were made in Moldova. my Intarsia from Faun however was made in Italy.

[scanner]

Funny thing is, All the shops that I bought SS15 Faun from that normally carry Moldovan or lesser quality RO (Glass Ice, etc) - The Corner, FWRD, Farfetch, OkiNi, Porter shipped out everything Made In Italy, while the more niche shops that I order from - Idol, LNCC, Hotoveli, Maxfield, all shipped out Made In Moldova items (and they were all under the impression they were Made in Italy). To make matters worse, the Made in Italy pieces were all retailed at around $2300 - $2800 and discounted as far down as $600 while all the Moldova pieces were $3400+ and didn't get discounted further than $1k. I will add that in my opinion the Moldova jackets seemed to be significantly better made with much nicer materials than their Italian counterparts.

[DudleyGray]

I was going to say, aren't leathers some of the most labor-intensive pieces to make? I wonder what the rationale is to assemble such a flagship mainline item in Moldovia. Why not the sweats or something instead?

[unwashed]

I was going to say, aren't leathers some of the most labor-intensive pieces to make? I wonder what the rationale is to assemble such a flagship mainline item in Moldovia. Why not the sweats or something instead?

I was recently think that maybe all the Drkshdw stuff was made there. Quality of Drkshdw isn't very good. Blacks fade quick, and all of my sweaters with an elastic end at the sleeve have busted seams. Seems like this was made in a cheap labor country.

On the other hands, since costs are so low, labor intensity can go up and therefore quality can go up. Quality Checks are perhaps better etc...

[Shucks]

I was going to say, aren't leathers some of the most labor-intensive pieces to make? I wonder what the rationale is to assemble such a flagship mainline item in Moldovia. Why not the sweats or something instead?

um... that's the whole point?? labor is cheaper in moldova (no 'i') and so it makes perfect (financial) sense to move labor-intensive production there.

[DudleyGray]

I guess I mean in terms of brand image. Most non-SZ customers would probably only be interested in shoes and jackets from Rick, and why buy a jacket made in Moldova vs SLP or whomever makes theirs in Italy?

[delicious_not]

Don´t let your clothes wear you. These are just garments, make them your own.

yeah, at the end of the day it's just a piece of clothing for me and just a business for rick & team, if you forget all the bullshit. gotta force myself to always think like this.

Quality of Drkshdw isn't very good.

gotta agree - drkshdw quality sucks big time. and i can't tell myself that it adds some "raw" feel to them anymore. it's just bad, like 2,5/5 bad. and still, nowadays i'm interested in drkshdw more than in mainline rick, and sure i'll continue to build my perfect drkshdw corner - go figure... rick magic right here.

[Shucks]

I guess I mean in terms of brand image. Most non-SZ customers would probably only be interested in shoes and jackets from Rick, and why buy a jacket made in Moldova vs SLP or whomever makes theirs in Italy?

cause the ppl who chose between slp and rick, don't give a shit where things are made.

[Faust]

yeah, at the end of the day it's just a piece of clothing for me and just a business for rick & team, if you forget all the bullshit. gotta force myself to always think like this.

All the cultural references, the aesthetic vocabulary, the philosophical underpinnings, that's merely bullshit? We might as well shut up shop.

[delicious_not]

All the cultural references, the aesthetic vocabulary, the philosophical underpinnings, that's merely bullshit? We might as well shut up shop.

i'm speaking about the basics. sure there's more to it - that' why it's so awesome. but it's good for me not to go that deep, otherwise i might end up with a museum full of unworn clothes.

[DudleyGray]

cause the ppl who chose between slp and rick, don't give a shit where things are made.

Maybe my mistake to try and think like someone who I am not.

i'm speaking about the basics. sure there's more to it - that' why it's so awesome. but it's good for me not to go that deep, otherwise i might end up with a museum full of unworn clothes.

It's been known to happen. I'm currently trying to combat that by sticking with the basic look in as few but as high quality pieces as I can get by on. Anything more than that seems superfluous and arbitrary. Like the classic Rick uniform look already says everything; I don't need a skirt on top of that.

I disagree with the assessment of DRKSHDW quality, however, at least in terms of basics. I bought some basics over the past year from DRKSHDW and quality was as to be expected. The drop crotch construction was improved, if anything, and the cotton was really soft but substantial. The mainline wool swingers I just received today, however, they're unlined and kind of itchy, unlike older seasons, and the cut seems bigger than previous 46/XS.

[delicious_not]

It's been known to happen. I'm currently trying to combat that by sticking with the basic look in as few but as high quality pieces as I can get by on. Anything more than that seems superfluous and arbitrary. Like the classic Rick uniform look already says everything; I don't need a skirt on top of that.

I disagree with the assessment of DRKSHDW quality, however, at least in terms of basics. I bought some basics over the past year from DRKSHDW and quality was as to be expected. The drop crotch construction was improved, if anything, and the cotton was really soft but substantial. The mainline wool swingers I just received today, however, they're unlined and kind of itchy, unlike older seasons, and the cut seems bigger than previous 46/XS.

fabrics used on drkshdw pieces are great. fav cotton ever. but how these garments made, that's another story. considering the price and "made in italy" label - i expected more. can't say nothing about denim stuff though - i just buy longsleeves and sweatshirts and pods, and seams sometimes are really cheap.

[jskidder1]

The mainline wool swingers I just received today, however, they're unlined and kind of itchy, unlike older seasons, and the cut seems bigger than previous 46/XS.

i had a feeling you would be disappointed by those. there's a reason they are so inexpensive.

[ian+]

I guess I mean in terms of brand image. Most non-SZ customers would probably only be interested in shoes and jackets from Rick, and why buy a jacket made in Moldova vs SLP or whomever makes theirs in Italy?

it's funny you mention slp, the pieces may be produced in Italy / Japan (some denim) but the quality is really bad for what you pay.

The discussion is heading to a wrong path, people are mixing the fact that there are goods of shitty quality made in Italy and goods made in a country where the typical wage for workers is 95 pounds each month. Even if the quality of the above pieces is mind blowing the fact that they are produced in a country where the basic wage is way beyond the point of survival is devastating for me. This is the subject that needs to be addressed, discussed and criticized. Rick's quality is a different subject, may I remind you that there were numerous pieces in the past that had quality issues and all of them were made in Italy.

[DudleyGray]

^This is true. And I think a lot of what drives people to Rick is to make a statement against society's bullshit. It's ironic that Rick is now the cause of said bullshit.

i had a feeling you would be disappointed by those. there's a reason they are so inexpensive.

Yeah, you were right, but they're listed on the Rick website with the same composition at $900+, so who knew? You're lucky to live in NYC and be able to check things out in person, whereas I'm stuck figuring out whether to make do or to return and hunt the used market, which is often just awful to deal with in itself.