“All of our jackets and trousers are sold separately, even if they match,” points out Clive Derby, owner of new menswear brand, RAKE. In these few words Derby is summing up not just his brand’s ethos but also the direction of men’s tailoring today. Suits are being split up and mixed with casual gear in new and unlikely ways. A formal jacket worn with jeans, T-shirt and white Converse trainers no longer garners comment.
Take RAKE’s high-twist wool and cashmere Prince of Wales check jacket. It can of course be bought with matching trousers to make a suit. Or, it would just as smartly sit a-top straight-legged darkest denims, grey flat-front trousers, even white jeans; for each of these combinations creates: a dressed down weekending banker, a casual Friday lawyer and even an Ibiza-bound party animal. Mixing tailoring with sports and casual-wear offers up a range of possibilities for the wardrobe, turning it into a running buffet rather than a set menu.
“When I was thinking about the collection I had Serge Gainsbourg in mind,” says Darby, referencing the crumpled elegance of the Gallic crooner, lothario, and yes… rake. Darby, with a background in buying and retail development with smartest labels Browns, Richard James and Kilgour understands men’s classic clothing consumption, with a depth of experience gained from over 20 years in the business.
He also seems to be designing for himself, looking low-key smart and relaxed wearing a navy cashmere sweatshirt and fine jersey flat-front trousers from the brand’s next collection. He looks like a sophisticated design tutor as he talks me through the range.
There’s a particularly fine dark-navy ‘one show one’ double-breasted jacket that, indeed, could be a Serge Gainsbourg cast off. It’s only missing the whiff of stale Galloises. Importantly for this first collection, the suit block is slim without being skinny. The RAKE customer is in his 30s or 40s, and is not trying to look like a youngster in body-hugging clothing.
There’s subtle branding too. “It’s the RAKE ‘halo’,” says Darby, pointing out the fine hand-stitched buttonhole found on the back of shirt collars and jacket lapels. “And look at our labels too,” he enthuses, “RAKE is about subtle difference in fabric texture and the label is formed by three built-up fabric layers. It’s that attention to detail we know our customer appreciates.”
With a collection this considered, it’s no surprise that even seemingly simple accessories like silk neckerchiefs are cleverly designed so the merest tug while tying it under the chin makes it look rakishly right. A feat even Hermès versions struggle to emulate. Or a simple waistcoat that is reversible, flipping between navy and grey.
Gainsbourg of course would be wearing his stained with Claret and cigarette ash, but then again so might you.
RAKE available from September 2010 at Matches
Shirts from £188 and jackets from £985
rakestyle.com
