CONTROVERSY: REBUS GINGERFEST ROUGEFEST 2012
With the contest parameters still being finalized while putting the finishing touches on our website (now live, but in beta mode - the finalized RebusLIFE.com will be ready for the beginning of November) and a million other tasks to complete, a small controversy has been brewing.
Is calling a redhead a “ginger” offensive? Some of our team at Rebus think so, some do not. Externally, the numbers have been about 60/40 for or against. Needless to say, this polarization has really peaked our interest, and we want to continue the dialogue with the public.
Ginger, as you know, is a spicy root that some find delicious and some do not. Ginger ale is amazing, ginger with your sushi is heavenly, and ginger may or may not sometimes have a slight red tinge to its color, hence its curious historical linking to red hair.
It was brought to our attention (we often forget) that most true red-heads hail from Scotland, Ireland, and parts of Northern Europe and Scandinavia. This would thus limit the scope of our dogged pursuit at Rebus for Toronto’s hottest, well, red-head.
A couple things: in the wake of this heated debate, we have temporarily renamed the contest “RougeFest 2012”. Surely there can be nothing controversial with that name!
Secondly, we want to assure you that we are most definitely not limiting the contest to people of Scottish, Irish, or Northern European descent! If you sport a healthy head of red hair, and it’s not your natural color, you are still welcome to enter the contest. As pictured above, Blake Lively is NOT a natural red-head - but dear lord does she ever rock the red-head look well.
We ask that you hold off on submissions until the beginning of November when we officially announce our launch of the finalized RebusLIFE.com, but know that we plan to have a lot of fun with this.
The winner of RougeFest 2012 will not only be given free Rebus gear, but will also be featured as one of our core models for our forthcoming FW12 collection!
So red-heads out there - get your engines going, because this is going to be a dog-fight to the very end.
But, we want to know - was it necessary for us to rename this contest? Are we truly being offensive by using the “G” word to describe red hair?
Drop us a line with your thoughts on the matter!
UPDATE - 31/10/11: RougeFest 2012 has been cancelled! We had hoped for this to be one of our inaugural contests that would be very engaging and that people could have a lot of fun with - but the majority have spoken and political correctness must prevail.
We apologize for any offense to anyone. This contest was thought up in the spirit of good-natured fun and celebrating an aspect of beauty that we felt does not receive enough societal accolades. Unfortunately, putting the spotlight on people who have red hair is still a hot button issue in 2011, one that we hope one day will cause less controversy.
For now, stay tuned as we do have some other great contests coming down the pipeline for all of our friends, fans, and family.
Sincerely,
The Rebus Team
Emma Stone is the quintessential ginger of the moment - are you right there alongside her?
Rebus hearts redheads. Christina Hendrix from Mad Men, Kirsten Dunst, Julianne Moore, Gerri Haliwell … we are looking for Toronto’s Hottest Ginger - and we’re going to shower her with free Rebus gear!
Stay tuned - GingerFest 2012 will be one of our two initial contests that will be running upon the launch of RebusLIFE.com (the other one is very much under wraps, but we’ll give you a hint - it involves getting silly busting a move in your favorite Rebus denim!)
Emma Stone | Giorgio Armani / Vanity Fair Private Dinner
ENCORE, MONSIEUR ABESDRIS … ENCORE!
We recently anointed Julien Abesdris as our assistant Creative Director, and the wunderkind could not be happier. A sublime talent, Julien can talk shop about everything from high fashion to street style to music. Under watchful eyes, he has long been groomed for prime time, and we can no longer keep him a secret.
At just 21 years of age, Julien Abesdris is the future of Rebus and the Rebus LIFE brand. You will be hearing and seeing a lot more from him in video and in blog spots where he explains our brand and design vision and concept.
As we move forward towards debuting our SS12 collection, The Nest, this fall, we are going to periodically take time to introduce you to the moving parts and personalities behind our brand - what makes us tick, and why we are so confident that you will absolutely love our debut collection.
Taking a break from his favorite pastime of regaling anyone and everyone with his guitar skills, Julien spent 3 weeks this summer at our factories in Istanbul perfecting the denim and was tasked with making a final call on some of the key features that you will find in Rebus Premium Denim. From the stunningly beautiful denim selections, to our ridiculously roomy True 5th Pocket, and our banner denim fit that we have begun to call The World’s Best Relaxed Skinny, the CROW and the DOVE respectively for men and women, Mr. Abesdris’ fingerprints are all over the DNA of this brand.
In other news, Rebus Prez/Creative Director Adam Bledin and myself just returned from a rousing visit to sunny Las Vegas where we attended WWDMAGIC/PROJECT, the fashion industry’s largest tradeshow. It was truly humbling rubbing shoulders with some of fashion’s greatest thinkers and leaders, and many of the words of encouragement and support we got from everyone we engaged left an indelible mark on us
There is a very evident move towards a “share economy” in fashion right now - a spirit of camaraderie and openness to collaboration among brands. Against a backdrop where the consumer is asking for heightened corporate integrity and better quality products, there is no time for the old “me first” school of thought that arguably dominated the landscape for decades.
“Welcome boys - keep your heads up … and stay humble”, said Chip Foster of the infamous Canadian/California surf brand Chip & Pepper to us.
Words that we will remember forever. There is much work ahead of us, but we are incredibly privileged to have had the chance to witness the fraternity and sense of family that is held by many in the industry.
We eagerly look forward to attending MAGIC again in spring 2012. Julien and our design team have already started work on our F/W 2012 offering, and just like that, the giant, unforgiving wheel that is the fashion industry continues to roll forward.
In the next few days to weeks, I will share more about our experiences at MAGIC, and also there is a ton of exciting behind the scenes video featuring Julien and Adam during our last production excursion in Istanbul.
Building a premium Canadian brand is a tough game, but it has never felt so good to be alive.
Until next time,
Moshe Modeira
VP & CMO
Rebus Productions .
Stay tuned for more craziness heading into Fall 2011 and TIFF week in September, kiddies …
Toronto’s first premium denim label is coming at you hard - and we make no apologies!
Go big or go home, as the famous Texan proverb says.
We certainly have taken that credo to heart here at Rebus Productions.
UPDATE: shhhhhh …. 1/31/2012
Here is a sneak peak at some of the styling flourishes that will be found in the first Rebus women’s denim line - an amazingly engineered fit for ultimate comfort, and our signature color swatches on the back pockets that are made of a variety of different fabrics, with one of our favorite sustainable materials among them - burlap!
Our team takes inspiration from many different designers. The denim world is incredibly fickle and is subject to hilariously volatile swings of consumer taste and desire. Skinny, comfortable, distressed, straight-leg, unique washes, form-fitting are all in right now … but who knows what the next decade may bring? A return to flared bottoms, baggy fits, and more generic washes? Whatever the market demands, designers will adjust to satisfy. Such is the nature of this beast we call fashion - it needs to be continually fed.
For our part here at Rebus, however, we want to wherever possible pay attention to ethical and sustainable practices and manufacturing processes; we will have a charitable component to our revenues that will reflect our organizational concern for rising cancer rates in our society; and we will encourage a heightened level of consumer input and participation in our brand, because the best thing to give the customer is a product that is the result of listening to the marketplace.
Stay tuned - there are exciting developments ahead in 2011.
