Ramy Brook to Debut Denim
Ramy Brook, the advanced contemporary firm known for its sexy tops, is launching denim for fall.
The jeans, which wholesale from $100 to $176, are being offered in sizes 23 to 30. The denim runs the gamut from classic solidwash styles to seasonal fabrics that highlight on-trend embroideries, embellishments and unusual printing techniques.
Ramy Sharp, the brand's co-chief executive officer and creative director, said, “When I started the company, it was all because I had a ton of denim and I needed some sexy tops. I lived in denim. Then I realized over the years it would be nice if I could develop denim, but at the time I was happy with all the jeans I was buying. It wasn't necessary. Over the years I feel like a lot of the denim that was being produced and sold was not my style anymore. A lot of them were highwaisted, a lot of them didn't look great on me. I was missing the low-rise, and I wanted something that covered the back a little bit more in certain places, and I just couldn't find it,” she added.
Sharp said she's been working on this project for a little over a year. She was going to launch a small group this spring. “I tried on every pair, and it still wasn't to my liking. If I don't want to wear this, I said we're going to go back to the drawing board,” said Sharp.
For fall, she has developed the denim in- house, with a freelancer. The jeans, which are being introduced to the market today, are being manufactured in Los Angeles.
“The product is great, and the turnaround is fast, and it's nice to have something made in the U.S.,” she said. While she declined to give a first-year projection, she said, “Hopefully, we'll build a big denim business.”
For fall, Ramy Brook is offering three core styles. The first is a mid-rise flare denim with a Seventies feel. That will come in medium wash, a lighter wash with embroidery and velveteen. Another is a lower-waist style, which is lower in the front and higher in the back, with zippers on the side. They are more cropped and will come in a darker wash, leopard denim (there's also a leopard denim jacket) and a stretch velveteen. There's also an ankle jean in a dark wash, black, and Army green, which has slits with sequins.
Sharp said because it's denim, she is targeting a slightly younger customer than her ready-to-wear client. She's gearing it to a woman in her 20s, while the readyto-wear is targeted to a woman in her late 20s to early 30s. “It's priced to compete with the market,” she said.
Sharp said that a lot of her fashion company's growth has been organic. “My goal is it will do the same thing that the coverup collection has done for us. It stands alone, different stores come and buy it,” she said. For now, the denim will be sold with her ready-to-wear collection, but she believes ultimately it could become its own division.
The denim is aimed at Ramy Brook's key retail accounts, which include
Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's and Shopbop. The collection is also sold at the Ramy Brook flagship in New York and ramybrook.com.
In other news, Ramy Brook is launching the company's spring ad campaign Thursday. Shot by Sebastian Faena and styled by Kate Young, the ads feature model Camila Morrone, and was shot in a New York studio.
The fall collection is inspired by the Art Nouveau era of Gustav Klimt, his use of rich jewel colors, especially his use of gold and copper, and his decorative, ornate style which was translated into Ramy Brook's fabrics and embellishments.
Morrone recently appeared as the lead in the film “Never Goin' Back,” directed by Augustine Frizzell and produced by David Lowery, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last year. She will appear next in the independent film, “Mickey and the Bear.”
The campaign will run digitally on Ramy Brook channels and with select partners.
The jeans, which wholesale from $100 to $176, are being offered in sizes 23 to 30.