Ralph Lauren’s Denim & Supply Line Arrived Right On Schedule
Ralph Lauren knows a good opportunity when he sees one, and his new jeans concept Denim & Supply is the perfect thing to fill the void that Abercrombie & Fitch is leaving in the retail world.
Because for ages now, the company that brought us naughty black-and-white catalogs and perfectly comfortable poloshirts was riding high on a wave of its customers’ brand loyalty and aspirational blindness. Teenagers looked at A&F and saw an idealized version of American youth that celebrated vacations to Montauk, reckless abandon that didn’t come with any circumstances and jeans that looked like you’d been beating the hell out of them for years before you even got a chance to put them on. But after getting sued for not treating its black employees the same as its precious white ones — to say nothing of getting called out for producing child smut and racially insensitive statement t-shirts — the company has been in decline stateside. We hear they’re doing well in Europe, though.
But Ralph Lauren is an all-American company, and its people realize that young kids who don’t have a whole ton of money to spend still want dependable, well-made, stylish clothing. That’s why the Denim & Supply line is so special. Its clothes aren’t unapproachably high fashion, but they’re not so basic that they’re boring, either. And the prices are good, if not affordable for absolutely everyone. There’s nothing that costs more than $300, and most of the jeans are under $100. Part model off-duty, part reformed preppy kid who’s moved downtown, the clothes just look really easy to wear and understand.
And maybe that’s because the marketing behind it is so intensely targeted. The video you more or less have to watch when you reach the line’s website says, “We embrace scruffiness! We aren’t annoyingly shiny or happy, but damnit we look good!” We can’t wait to see what it looks like when it gets its own freestanding stores. We have a feeling you’ll be able to get the same ripped up jeans you loved when you were in high school, and you can buy them without having to walk past greased up shirtless boys who make you feel bad for having that extra spoonful of affogato instead of doing 200 sit-ups after dinner last night like you know you should have.
Denim & Supply is currently available at Macy’s stores nationwide and online at Macys.com. Take a look at a few of the brand’s first pieces, and tell us what you think.
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Danielle
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