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VIDEOUp-and-Coming Retailers: William Rast
Are we ready for a "new American denim culture"?
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Fashion.
William Rast is a new clothing line created by Timberlake and his best friend "Trace" Ayala, which gives the label instant cache.
Timberlake and Ayala started the company in 2005 with backing by parent company Portfolio of Progressive Luxury Brands (PPLB). The duo tapped the talented Swedish couple Johan and Marcella Lindeberg to design the line they consider “the New American denim culture brand,” according to the shop’s website. The company has also defined the clothing line’s “DNA” as "capturing the soul of authentic Southern heritage married with the edge of contemporary Hollywood."
"I feel like when the four of us are all together, William Rast is like the coolest new band that people are just starting to talk about," Timberlake recently told Women's Wear Daily, a fashion trade publication.
Their clothes certainly won’t win any avant-garde design awards -- they rely heavily on the traditions of American denim, with jeans, leather jackets, branded T-shirts, and plaid shirts as the collection’s mainstays. But the pieces do include details that reflect Timberlake and Ayala’s devotion to the very latest in style. According to a story in Vogue magazine, the two have been finding ways to make fashion statements since a young age. “Even back in grade school in Millington, Tennessee (north of Memphis), Justin and Trace doggedly customized their clothes, spray-painting their Air Jordans, tight-rolling their jeans," a Vogue fashion writer reported. To which Ayala added: "And as soon as everyone else started tight-rolling, we went to wide legs."
When it comes to the true American denim tradition, Levi Strauss & Co., the company which made the first blue jean in 1872, is the one to beat. According to the company’s website, Levi’s are sold in 110 countries. The third-quarter 2009 results for the privately held company are reported at $1 billion. Down 6 percent from the year before but still. One Billion. Across brands, PPLB reported third-quarter-2009 net sales of only $11 million, a slight increase from the $10.9 million from the same time in 2008. Through the end of September, net sales were $28.5 million.
So far, the William Rast label has used Timberlake very carefully in their marketing campaigns, perhaps realizing that the peak of celebrity “designers” has passed. And Timberlake has been very upfront about his role with the company, telling Women’s Wear Daily that he doesn’t see himself as a designer. However, for anyone needing their Justin fix, there’s a William Rast MySpace page which includes ad-films that feature Timberlake and a model-type female taking time out for a passionate kiss while being pursued by a pack of dogs.With prices for a pair of jeans averaging $165, the initial roll-out was at boutiques and department stores like Bloomingdale's (M), Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom (JWN). Now they’re opening their own stores. The label has opened three shops--in L.A., San Diego and outside Palm Springs--and are aiming for up to 50 new locations by 2012, all located in high-end malls. It may not be too far in the future when Timberlake’s move into fashion will prove Justified.
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