About May Globus
Vancouver City Editor May Globus is obsessed with the sartorial and all that surrounds it: art, design, culture, music and film. Oh, and she really likes writing about it, too. A left coast girl at heart, her Sweetspot finds just might show why the westside really is the best side.
Going Rogue
the view from vancity Vancouver
(Mar.17.10)
Men borrowed the skinny jean from us, and we stole the boyfriend blazer off them. Men got more and more into color (even pinks and purples!), and we slipped into brogues and fedoras.
There's now a fine line that exists between men's and women's fashion, a friendly exchange between silhouettes, colors, patterns and textures between the two. I have two equally stylish girlfriends who wear the Annie Hall look well, layering long boxy blazers over almost everything and making the pairing of socks and flats look refreshingly feminine.
I attribute this new symbiotic, sartorial relationship to those men who see being dapper as a "do" and not a "don't", men who aren't afraid to take their individual style to the next level and, thus, encouraging established and emerging labels to up the design quotient.
So when Dace Morris of Rogue came into town at Holts yesterday (and after he shred Whistler on his board), I had to have a chat with him to see what was going on in the world of men's fashion and, of course, what was going on with the Rogue brand.
And the best news? Yep, there's a ladies' line in the pipeline for 2011.
MG: So who is Dace Morris and how did you get into this business of fashion?
DM: Years ago, I went through a fashion merchandising program at Kent State University -- I wanted to be in the business side of fashion. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, but once I got to New York as a [fashion] intern, so many things opened up: styling, PR, fashion photography. There was a big world and culture around it, and it was really exciting to me. I pursued New York, and I knew New York was the place [to be] after school [finished]. I went through a great, reputable program that was able to place people, and I was able to get to New York with a pretty good foundation and foster family around me. That's how I happened into it. Once I got there, the European, high-end designer world opened up quickly. I saw that opportunity and took it -- I was immediately working for Jean Paul Gaultier, Moschino and Narciso Rodriguez. It opened the New York and international fashion scene for me.
MG: When did the label start?
DM: Rogue was started in 1999 as an outerwear brand. It evolved into men's and women's [wear] -- Rogue was the contemporary brand and Reilly Olmes was the more sophisticated contemporary business. The designers' dream was to create a full lifestyle collection. It took them nine years and a bit of reorganization to finally get there, and in the last year -- with the new office space -- they were able to start stepping up and putting their vision together, continuing the quest with bottoms, top, knits and great outerwear they had been doing.
MG: How would you describe the brand's aesthetic?
DM: The Rogue aesthetic is kind of an unkept and a little bit rugged but modern and contemporary. Everything has a little bit of a patina, which is the oiled area where things have been worn or constantly touched. [They are] things that look like they've been in your closet for years and are like friends, not new pieces that need to go through a break-in period. It instantly gives people that credible look, like they've had this piece for a long time and not something new and off-the-rack. The fit is very slim but not skinny. The armholes are high for a nice, slim arm. Every garment has something special, whether it's contrast colored yarns or wire treatments in plackets, collars or cuffs so customers can style it [themselves]. You can bend or scrunch it up. There are leather jackets and pima cotton tee shirts -- everything just feels really good.
MG: Where do design influences come from?
DM: It's global. The designers shop in Asia, Europe and the States. They shop in South America, too. They get [inspiration] when they're out looking. The designers may bring back a piece, but don't do the piece as is. Instead, they do a wash effect of it and apply it to our own fabrications.
MG: What's Spring 2010 looking like?
RM: Spring is active. We call it "Gym to Weekend to Beach". It's active, it's sporty, it's sophisticated, it's colorful. There are beautiful yellow and blues, and warm pinks that are washed and look masculine. There are great leather jackets, like contemporary biker jackets to more motorcycle jackets without the lapels. There are some shorts and there are graphics prints.
MG: Is this collection a reflection of the times? Of how people are relaxing now that the economy seems to be on the upswing?
DM: With the color you see, absolutely. When we started to put this collection together, we talked to buyers and retailers about what was on the market -- everything was dark and sombre. Buyers [wanted] color and something to be excited about, so that's what we did. We did these nylon track jackets -- a big part of the collection -- in yellow, melon, green, light blue, purple, an array of clean, saturated colors. People want to be happy and to be perked up after a sombre year and sombre winter.
MG: The designers must be really excited that men have really taken a vested interest in how they look and dress over the past few years. It's probably given them a lot of creative freedom.
DM: Definitely. What's exciting about this company is that it's open, and [the designers] look to the whole fashion perspective, [as in] not just men's fashion but women's fashion, which trickles down to men. Even women are wearing men's sweaters and cardigans. Each is sharing from [one] another, and it's exciting for [the designers] to be open and responsive. It's keeps us on the edge and fresh.
MG: Any chance that there will be women's stuff coming out?
DM: It's projected coming is for Fall 2011!
MG: What motto does the Rogue man (or woman) live by?
DM: Good question. "The future is altered; create what is not there." It means opening up your perspective and you being the creator. It's not about the clothes wearing you, it's about you wearing the clothes.
Do you beg, borrow or steal your man's clothing for yourself?