denim & supply by Ralph

In Italy we have Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo and many, many more, but in the States while there is a plenty of new emerging designers and brands, there never seem to be as many long-time players.

Perhaps one of the strongest is Ralph Lauren. In 2011 Ralph expanded his empire even further to launch Denim & Supply, a jeanswear concept. Today, Denim & Supply opens its second store in the States and its first in Manhattan. The new store located at 99 University Place was formerly the home of a Rugby (another Ralph Lauren brand). Earlier in the month the first ever Denim & Supply store was opened on Newbury Street in Boston, also a former Rugby location; which makes you wonder is this all part of Ralph’s larger plan to begin phasing out Rugby?

While this may be the word on the street, David Lauren, executive VP of advertising, marketing and corporate communications, was awfully quick to disperse the rumors saying that it is “in no way a replacement for the brand” (WWD).

Despite his comment, with so many brands now falling under the Ralph Lauren name – and many with overlapping product lines – the future of Rugby still feels as though it make be in question.

Read a full article on the subject on WWD.

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commencement speeches worth watching

I find that graduation time in the States is one of the best times to step back and take a moment to think about the bigger picture and your place in the world. A great commencement speech has the ability to inspire and reinvigorate determination. Two of my favorites this year were were former President Bill Clinton’s speech at Howard University, and President of the World Bank, Jim Young Kim’s speech at Northeastern University. Check them out.

Chanel in Singapore

For Chanel’s Pre-Fall ’13/’14 line Karl Largerfeld brought the brand and its followers to Scotland; now, for Resort ’14 Karl’s brought us all the way to 100 degree Singapore. 

When asked by Style.com whether Singapore was chosen as a way to further penetrate the Asian market, and whether or not he had done research as a result, Karl replied: “I research with instinct, you see. It has to be a vague impression, but don’t get into the details. Reinvent the details.” Read the full article here on Style.com. 

The show itself was pretty great, a bit more Coco inspired and a little less Karl – pearls, easy fabrics, and neutral colors with a boyish flair. 

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