"Co-Op brands" - Diffusion lines, jean/tshirt lines, etc. discussion

[Faust]

On the heels of Laika's suggestion I want to kick off this thread.

I don't know exactly how to name these brands, most are called "streetwear" but its not an accurate definition. I like to call them Co-Op brands, because Barneys Co-Op unites them pretty well - you'll see Rogan, Rag & Bone next to Acne and Nudie, Edun next to Marc by Marc Jacobs, as well as Tsubi, Ksubi, Woobie, Doobie and so on.

Given a good amount of posters who x-post on SuFu I think it would be an interesting discussion. How do you judge these labels, what's your criteria of choice, and so on? Who do you think is the real deal? Obviously True Religion is not like Wings & Horns, etc.

From what I've seen (and I am no expert in it, I think people who know denim well know much more than I do), I think Rag & Bone takes the cake. I think they have graduated from making jeans (and good ones at that) into more interesting tailored clothes, well constructed and well made. I think something like Rogan has never delivered and was all hype to begin with (does anyone still buy that?), although he has spawned numerous imitators and is kind of like a godfather to the whole premium denim and overpriced sweatshirts thing (genius).

What else is there? What are your favorites and why? Shoot.

[Servo2000]

Re: "Co-Op brands" - Diffusion lines, jean/tshirt lines, etc. discussion

I don't really have a 'standard' for which I approach them, and I certainly judge them with different criteria. I tend to approach them solely from a design perspective, that is, if a company is known for making "Premium Denim," is the denim actually premium? Is it well designed? How is it priced?

For instance, two you've already mentioned, Wings and Horns and Rag & Bone are both good examples. The latter made nice jeans at (what I saw at least) not terribly exorbitant prices. Wings and Horns are mostly known for their sweaters and basic items. They're a little pricey, but they're impeccably made and use great materials. Two great brands.

I tend not to even pay attention to a lot of the Co-Op brands since I'm not really their target market. I buy essentially nothing screenprinted these days, so that rules out the better part of it. I just ignore most of it, to say the least.

That's just for Co-Op "brands," though. I find diffusion lines a little more complicated. I tend to examine diffusion lines more as if they came from a designer. That is, for Raf by Raf Simons, I examine it under the assumption that it was, at least in past, designed or directed by Raf. My standards tend to be higher and I give some more leeway when it comes to pricing, but I also tend to be more critical of the pieces themselves creatively moreso than the construction.

[sbw4224]

Re: "Co-Op brands" - Diffusion lines, jean/tshirt lines, etc. discussion

Sorry for taking so long to respond to this but I think it's a good topic worth discussing. I used to take trips fairly frequently with a good friend of mine to NYC - I would love the designer floor and he would really enjoy the Co-op floor. We used to talk about why we liked the different sections and it necessarily didn't come down to differentiation in tastes but rather the ability to buy an item that fit well at a decent price. I saw the design aspect and "uniqueness" as a higher priority than the potential of buying an item at Barney's under $100.

I think it's fairly easy to pick out the good labels of what you would call a "Co-op brand." Rag and Bone, W&H, APC.. these brands are all well made, have a good cut, and not terribly expensive. They also have the ability to drop below 50 percent at times which makes bargain hunting really great.

Diffusion brands that are on the Co-op floor, to me, are judged by the same merit as the rest of the surrounding clothes. I do feel that some diffusion brands are worse in quality than other Co-op brands. To me, a lot of the raf by raf etc feel cheaper than APC, Rag and Bone and others - the price point can be higher, too.