PRODUCTION 2012 PERSPECTIVES: THE BACKWARDS SIDE OF ISTANBUL
As I sit in the hotel room on the last day of this production/sampling trip, I reflect on what has happened in the last 19 days. Of course, I am proud of what Julien and myself have accomplished in our time here, as it is no small feat. (I must add that Julien is tenderly asleep, snoring his arse off at 11:45am. )
The days were long and daunting, and I know we couldn’t be happier to come home feeling like war heroes. Here are some of the things I have learned along the way this time around ….
As you may well know from my past blogs and for those of you who know me personally, I like loads of ice in my drinks. I was stuck not knowing how to ask for lots of ice since this is a foreign country and I don’t speak Turkish! Now the first thing I learned was that ice is an absolute luxury here. 9 out of 10 restaurants do not posses an ice maker. If they do have ice, all I have to say now is “cup bal bus” meaning cup “lots of ice.” As always, my drinks must stay refreshing and cold. I would have it no other way.
The second thing I realized yet again when I was here is that everywhere on the streets of Istanbul, especially in the bazaar, the saying “one mans trash is another mans treasure” is as true as true can be.
I never really understood what that fully meant until I started analyzing everything here as if I was the Terminator. You can find anything your heart can imagine in this city. But you can also find a ton of trash. (For example, paper bracelets that look like leather?? Ya, I know. Weird!)
The third and final and probably most important thing I learned is that life is all about waiting. Doesn’t matter what your doing, who you are with, or what you are waiting for.
You will always be waiting.
As a child, you wait to grow up. As a teen, you wait to hit puberty and graduate high school. As a young adult, you wait for university to end and go into the working world. The working world is where I thought I could finally control the waiting and minimize it.
Boy was I wrong.
In the working world, I am always waiting - and on this trip I realized just how much waiting I would have to do. The problem is, Julien and I are very impatient rabblerousers. When we were told we had to take the day off while the factory would be working on some important aspect of production where our presence was not required, we would both look at each other and have no idea what to say or do.
If a car is running one hundred miles an hour, when you brake it might make an awkward squealing sound.
There were several days during production that I liken to days of awkward squealing sounds. Most people would go to the Blue Mosque or the Bosphorus, but because I had been to these places so much already during my times in Istanbul, I didn’t know what to do with my downtime this time around. We just had to wait wait wait and wait some more. We did manage to squeeze in 4 movies - I must say The Avengers was fantastic - kudos Josh Whedon!
Despite all the waiting, I do believe that we managed on this latest production run to create my dream in this second line of REBUS. Travel bags, hoodies, wallets, belts, scarves, beautiful button downs, t -shirts, cardigans, selvedge denim, khakis … and all the new washes and colors of LAZYPANTS® that I am certain you will all love.
Its funny, I have dreamed this REBUS dream for 6 years, and now finally it is coming to reality. You try, you fail, you get knocked down, you get back up, and try again, and again, and again.
Finally, one time, it works.
From my mouth to your ears, I will continue to come on these daunting trips to Istanbul that are so full of moments of waiting. I will continue to experience a life so foreign to me I watch with awe and wonderment. I will continue to cherish having Shabbat dinners with our dear Turkish brother Hakan. All so that I may share my vision with everyone - a vision of love, charity, comfort, and style.
“Inshallah” is what they say here - it means “praise God, so that everything will go right.”
So Inshallah to everyone out there that you may continue to have a healthy and happy life … the REBUS life …
The only life I know.
- Adam Bledin, REBUS President & Creative Director
REBUS DEBUTS LAZYPANTS® AT CANADA’S PREMIERE RETAIL FASHION BOUTIQUE - MAY 31, 2012
REBUS is happy to announce that we will be launching the updated version of our LAZYPANTS® collection tomorrow evening at the hallowed mecca of Toronto luxury retail fashion - TNT The New Trend Hazelton Lanes!
TNT has been a solid partner of ours in the past, as they were among some of the first retailers in the city to carry our REBUS Premium Denim brand.
LAZYPANTS® will be available in all 18 colors also at TNT’s Forest Hill location on Eglinton Avenue.
REBUS will take the opportunity to have the launch coincide with Greg Lauren’s* highly anticipated Spring Summer 2012 Trunk Show where he will debut his collection to the Canadian marketplace.
*For those of you who do not know much about the under-the-radar American designer and artist who also happens to be the nephew of fashion phenom Ralph Lauren, a simple visit to the website of his eponymous brand will blow you away. Lauren’s old-world approach to the construction of his pieces, coupled with the heavy emphasis on the distressed look, makes for very visually arresting fare that seems much more haute couture than ready-to-wear.
So as far back as last September we teased that we were in talks with (read: shamelessly grovelling and begging) world famous hat company New Era Caps to make us a series of exclusive REBUS branded 5950 New Era Caps in commemoration of our debut collection The Nest.
Excessive?
Maybe.
But from day one we have had a go big or go home attitude imbued into our brand DNA, and this was no different. After a successful showing at PROJECT NYC last week, our team rushed back home to Toronto and had to switch into high gear to get ready for our branded event that we are having this coming Tuesday, January 31st, at the New Era Flagship Store in Toronto’s Queen West neighbourhood.
We are inviting our friends and family along with all of the top bloggers, press, tastemakers and influencers in the country for an evening of music, food, laughter and fashion where we will showcase the new 5950s (they are dangerously gorgeous!) as well as have those of you who have only seen or heard about us online come away with a solid offline perspective of our fledgling brand.
Oh, btw - we also managed to bring in one of the hottest DJs on the planet right now to spin a ridiculous 3 hour set while you’re munching on delicious hor d’ouvres (would love to divulge the menu but it is just too mouth-wateringly special) and candy sushi …
No big deal.
“You can put a brand on the map in a single season with the right woman.”
- Peter Lindberg
That “right woman” of the hour for REBUS appears to be emerging Toronto-born model Krista Madison, who we were lucky to shoot with this past December in Part 1 of our current 2012 “Spread Your Wings” brand campaign.
No, we didn’t get the legendary Peter Lindberg to shoot her, but she was indeed shot by another sublimely talented local product, photographer Cory Vanderploeg. With the line moving steadily into its inaugural season, Creative Director Adam Bledin was keenly aware that a distinctive fresh face would be key for the REBUS brand heading into a what we already know are tremendously competitive Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter 2012 seasons, and moved decisively to land a shoot with the ethereally beautiful Krista.
Asked to describe the feeling that Krista elicits in this latest shoot, Adam says “she’s accessible!”
“She’s that quintessential gorgeous girl next door that you would be damn proud to bring home to mom.”
REBUS has been at PROJECT New York these past couple days and our setup is simple in that delicious sort of way. LAZY PANTS™ continues their torrid pace, with buyers and browsers alike highly enjoying the refreshingly urbane charm of the super-soft fleece lounge-pants.
Along with our forthcoming dissection of our time at PROJECT New York, we can then finally talk about yet another one of the questions now being asked by longtime fans and those newly discovering REBUS alike …
“Lazy Pillows?”
It took us a while to get this right, but we wanted to make one that stood out and wasn’t generic. We were very divided about what it should look like. Comfort is a governing theme for our designs, however, and again it won out over perhaps even common sense!
Feedback on the Rebus Suede Belt Patch has been meteoric so far. Many remark about how it feels great against their hands when they reach back to adjust their jeans, and suede does have a familiarity and pleasantness to the touch that is very endearing. We call attention to our Toronto design heritage on every patch with the Maple Leaf proudly emblazoned on the inside.
The rivets that are affixed to the top of the patch on the denim in the SS12 collection were included to give the jeans a “rough and rustic” feel, but admittedly are still a point of contention internally. Do they need to be there? Would you still love the belt without those brushed metal rivets, or is that part of the appeal?
This is your chance to weigh in and have a direct impact on design - rivets or NO rivets on the Rebus Premium Denim Suede Belt Patch for F/W 2012?
REBUS BEHIND THE SCENES: THE BURLAP BAG
We love that you love those adorable burlap bags that your REBUS gear gets packaged in when you buy it …. because we are madly in love with them. To be more specific, Rebus Creative Director Adam Bledin especially loves them - because the concept was almost vetoed and left for dead at the boardroom table in June when he initially proposed it as a marketing initiative!
Fast forward 6 months later and we simply cannot imagine not being able to get you your favorite denim and LAZY PANTS™ in Rebus-branded burlap sacks. I mean, really - when was the last time you actually had a burlap freaking sack handy??
Here’s a peek behind the scenes at our factories in Istanbul as the bags are being made - much to Mr. Bledin’s delight, of course!
A talented photographer close to the Rebus family said it best tonight: pictures that invite you in and make you wish you were there in reality are the best ones. We love riveting images at Rebus, and this one caught our eye moments ago. Enjoy!
Ya, that’s right. The rumblings are true. We teamed up with JT Stevenson at ElectriCITY Events and renown West-end hipster haven Parts & Labour to bring you a unique denim-themed rock party tonight simply but aptly called DENIM. Throw in some raging music from The Disco Rebels and up and coming DJ Simon “The Jain” Jain, and you have a recipe for absolute mayhem.
We’re giving away a free pair of our premium denim to a lucky attendee who is judged to be clearly rocking out the hardest … and you will also have an opportunity to come chat with the Rebus team, have your picture taken, and take a look at some our prized Lazy Pants™ that are not available in stores yet but will be available for purchase online starting next month (just in time for the holidays).
Parts & Labour is at 1566 Queen Street West - get their early tonight and join the festivities with Rebus, ElectriCITY Events, The Disco Rebels, and The Jain!
We constantly talk about celebrating beauty here at Rebus Productions, and in the spirit of that we needed to share this image that appeared on the quirky “Chanel Beauty” Tumblr shortly ago. Simply breathtaking - it is amazing when a single picture can convey warmth, opulence, success, class and comfort … all in one fell swoop.
Check out chanel-beauty.tumblr.com whenever you have a chance - it is definitely one of our favorite Tumblr spots here at the Rebus office
(Source: goddessunderthestars)
Growing up i was taught a bunch of lessons from my mother - some good, and some better.
One of the more important lessons I was taught is that mixing business and friendship is the eighth deadly sin.
Rebus is in its second rising, 5 years of blood, sweat, and tears. In its first attempt at success, friends have come and friends have gone. Its the nature of the beast.
Now I’m not saying this mixture is always poisonous, but anyone that has been in this situation I’m sure would agree that it is nearly impossible and highly improbable to juggle these two flammable deadly knives.
On one side starting a business is stressful in itself. Any added pressure can make you or break you depending on how you work under these circumstances. Now the ying to this yang is that you have a prior friendship with these people and don’t want to ruin it. This means sometimes navigating around the different personalities in order to find the right mixture of motivation and firmness to get everyone motivated and working at full capacity.
In my time with Rebus right from the beginning concept stage, there have been all
types of problems and fewer solutions. I pride myself on how I deal with such problems
and come to a reasonable solution in a short period of time. From designs to marketing
to shipping there will always be a better way. Better, faster, stronger … and as my main man Kanye would say - Like you all know and have heard lemons make you lemonade.
Im here writing this blog, straight from my heart, late on a chilly November night to let you all know that I eat, sleep, play, think, talk, dance, run, and dream this brand.
Rebus is my life.
Rebus is my all-encompassing passion, and in presenting this first line of Rebus Premium Denim, I will tell you that I have been there from the start. I now have a great team of partners and colleagues that are not only my friends, but my brothers and sisters who share all the beauty and the pain with me. Because don’t get me wrong, this business throws many different complexions at you on an hourly basis.
What a journey it has all been. Five years of conceptualizations and drawings, numerous trips to Istanbul, choosing fabrics, fits, buttons, rivets … I have been there all along to make sure that you all get the best quality product for the price that you pay. I am here to make you look good, feel great, and be the best you can be.
At the the end of the day, isn’t that what everyone really wants?
Sayonara for now,
Adam Bledin
President & Creative Director
Rebus Productions
