The word “art” conjures up images of great paintings, iconic sculpture, even genre-defining literature or theater. Fashion, though, is just as much a creative endeavor as any. Take Rhone Apparel’s co-founder and chief product officer Kyle McClure, for example. For the last two years, McClure withdrew into the artist’s workshop to tinker and to innovate. What has emerged, as of this September, in Nanoprojects, a new line that incorporates singular design, materials, and techniques.
The point, for McClure, was to make a new fashion reality without consideration for price point, category, end use, or even an aesthetic box to set Nanoprojects apart from competitors or even the rest of the Rhone line.
“Not only do these pieces differ from what we’ve seen from Rhone, they also differ from what you see from our competitors,” McClure told “The Pursuit,” Rhone’s blog. “We have climbed the ladder closer to luxury ready-to-wear brands with the fabrics, finishes and details of this collection.”
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Nanoprojects features sophisticated blazers, trousers, button-down shirts, outerwear, jeans and more.
One of the key styles is the denim wash pant (as you can see throughout Nanoprojects’ promo video), which McClure fashioned in a classic chino silhouette with wider legs and less taper for a heritage appearance. Hand-finished to ensure each pair is unique, the denims are made to wear into a unique patina for each wearer over time. This micro-focus on a singular experience for each consumer is, in part, where the Nanoproject name comes from.
“Nanotechnology deals with the manipulation of individual atoms. That type of precision and dedication to detail was so important for us and thus the name reflects that,” McClure said.
Other items within the first Nanoproject assortment include a 100% interlocked cotton boxy t-shirt (sourced from Japan), a pleated Enzo trouser in a garment-dyed Italian warp knit, a sustainable, traceable, and washable wool blazer and the Mac coat, developed using Ventile fabric originally constructed for Royal Air Force survival suits during World War II.
Prices run more than typical Rhone products, ranging from $98 for tees to $595 for Mac coats.
Check out Rhone’s new Nanoproject threads at www.rhone.com/collections/nanoprojects .
