Chances are you’ll already be acquainted with RANRA, however maybe by way of its former moniker, Arnar Mār Jōnsson – eponymously named after its co-founder who developed the model alongside fellow Royal School of Arts alumni Luke Stevens. Now, the rising label is rebranding itself below a contemporary identification, which promotes a brand new studio for international collaborative practices, alongside materials and style exploration. The London-based model is acknowledged for its attentive method to performance-based outerwear paired with sustainable practices and high quality craftsmanship made to final a lifetime. Designed for nature explorers and city-goers alike, the model produces trendy interpretations of core performancewear kinds merged with streetwear influences to craft clothes for any event.
This summer time, the design duo behind the label dived head first right into a refreshed mindset, giving Arnar Mār Jōnsson a clear slate below a brand new identification. Now formally referred to as RANRA, the rebrand marks the debut of its new studio, which is able to work to increase the model’s outlook past the realm of trend. The area will act as a hub for forthcoming collaborations, welcoming international creatives by way of its doorways with innovation on the fore. It is going to additionally enable RANRA to discover additional areas of the design spectrum, from sustainable textile manufacturing to furnishings meeting and extra.
The duo has a transparent goal in thoughts, to merge premium craftsmanship with performance and efficiency, restoring the on a regular basis wardrobe into a flexible providing for all. RANRA goals to ship the earlier by way of an environmentally-aware lens that bleeds into its manufacturing observe from begin to end.
This summer time, Jōnsson and Stevens offered their first assortment below RANRA, marking a brand new period for the model and, subsequently, giving an perception into its future. The items maintained Arnar Mār Jōnsson’s conventional DNA, whereas highlighting collaborative practices and renewed supplies that derived into upgraded technical gear for up to date mountaineering.
Plunging into the universe of the London-based imprint, Hypebeast spoke to founders Jōnsson and Stevens to additional perceive the event of RANRA, its new identification and what it means for the way forward for the model.
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Hypebeast: “What was the unique thought behind the creation of Arnar Mār Jōnsson?
Arnar Mār Jōnsson: We concentrate on transitional outerwear items designed for each nature and the city surroundings. The studio produces in Italy utilizing performance-oriented and responsibly sourced materials with a mixture of sportswear-inspired methods contrasted with artisanal hand-dyed finishes. Our method is all the time to consider capabilities for various eventualities not just for the outside however to assist with a wardrobe as an entire system.
Luke Stevens: The studio is constructed round collaborative working practices and a dedication to considering by way of an expanded definition of design. Alongside producing seasonal collections, we have interaction in multifaceted tasks working at a variety of scales from textile improvement and product design to data manufacturing and systems-level interventions. These tasks act as an area for poetic but pragmatic experimentation that challenges present trade practices and perpetually questions how and why one thing is made.
The model has for lengthy grounded itself in technical sportswear. How does your method differ from the remainder?
AMJ: Though that is key to informing our design course of, the thought of designing for a selected goal, surroundings or state of affairs is extra how we method our designs, not essentially just for one goal. It simply is smart more often than not to issue within the climate while designing, so robotically folks’s notion is that we make technical sportswear as a result of that’s the place many of the know-how in menswear is in the meanwhile. Our method is extra about how we use these concepts as a place to begin to re-evaluate concepts of performance and efficiency throughout the context of a up to date wardrobe. Our design ethos is closely primarily based on the reimagining of traditional menswear garment archetypes by way of environmentally-conscious design choices – updating them to change into extra related for at this time, whether or not that’s by way of silhouette, fabrication, operate or a selected manufacturing methodology.
LS: A very good instance from our current SS23 assortment could be to have a look at our tackle a traditional 3-layer outerwear jacket. The jacket is created from ”Loomstate” unprocessed recycled cotton twill with a bio-membrane derived from castor beans. It’s light-weight and sturdy, whereas additionally offering waterproof and windproof safety. The aim right here wasn’t to supply essentially the most protecting shell in the marketplace, (truthfully, there are different manufacturers doing that higher than we are able to) however to push the usage of pure supplies inside a excessive efficiency, sportswear context and set up a brand new technical language round this explicit archetype.
In June of 2022, Arnar Mār Jōnsson turned RANRA. How did the rebrand come to be and what was the inspiration behind it?
AMJ: RANRA could possibly be seen as a recalibration or reset for the studio. It’s about refocusing our power on the design actions and outputs which matter to us as designers; digging deeper into new manufacturing strategies, working with suppliers to develop revolutionary materials therapies or dye processes, intervening with present strategies and understanding how these manufacturing approaches can, in flip, inform choices in fabrication, strategies of building or design for disassembly throughout the garment itself.
LS: It’s about increasing the remit of us as trend designers. Occupied with what we’re producing past the garments themselves, the position of artistic drawback fixing throughout the manufacturing course of and exploring the methods by which this method may translate into services and products exterior of clothes. These concepts aren’t new, they have been all the time current within the formation of Arnar Mār Jōnsson, nonetheless, in the course of the early years, we didn’t have the infrastructure or help to implement these concepts.
“It’s about refocusing our power on the design actions and outputs which matter to us as designers.”
What’s the inspiration behind the title RANRA and what does it imply?
The RANRA title may imply something – it could possibly be a fridge firm or a fragrance model. We favored how ambiguous it was.
What does the rebrand entail for you as a model and the way will it change your established design identification?
AMJ: On a extra quick degree, we’re interested by studio tradition itself; how a trend studio operates, establishing a more practical, collaborative working tradition – primarily questioning what we put out and the way we go about producing it.
LS: The studio mannequin supplies us with area to increase the RANRA design ethos past the scope of a single assortment. We’re at present engaged on quite a few tasks starting from textile design and manufacturing fashions to uniform design and furnishings. It’s a transfer to a extra sustained, research-led, collaborative method to design. We’re increasing our group by way of trade partnerships and collaborations with practitioners from different fields: product design, furnishings, and publishing. Actually interested by how we function as a workforce, focusing our specialisms and broadening our output.
What are the steps that you can be taking to ascertain these modifications within the close to future?
AMJ: RANRA’s focus is on issues that go on behind the scenes: provide chains, new manufacturing strategies or interventions in present approaches, and sustained analysis on recyclability and restore. It’s about understanding that “higher design” ought to prolong past garments and all the way in which into infrastructure. Belongings you won’t see, however can really feel.
LS: As a studio, we consider sustainable design can’t simply be about producing extra of the identical product with extra ethically-sourced supplies. Our focus is on design-led approaches or interventions which inform every resolution throughout the design and manufacturing course of. For RANRA, “higher design” is as a lot questioning present strategies, approaches, and assumptions as offering options. These concepts are as essential as consideration round form, silhouette, color and fabrication – and in lots of instances, a selected manufacturing methodology or method will dictate these aesthetic choices. For us, the design course of begins in the beginning of the provision chain and extends into the methods by which a buyer makes use of a selected product, how we lengthen that lifespan, and what occurs when it’s now not in use.
“It’s about understanding that “higher design” ought to prolong past garments and all the way in which into infrastructure.”
With the launch of RANRA comes a brand new design studio for the model. How will the area allow a brand new collaborative observe? Do you have got any collaborative plans at present within the works?
The studio will function partly as an area to trial totally different methods, whereas additionally offering extra open area for all designers within the studio to work on tasks. We’re at present engaged on our upcoming Salomon collaboration in addition to some thrilling tasks that we are going to announce quickly!
The model has traditionally centered on pure supplies and finishes. How will this observe be developed/continued all through the rebrand? Are you attempting something new?
We are actually at present specializing in 4 predominant issues to work on for our FW23 assortment. It’s undoubtedly essentially the most progressive work we’ve got executed thus far. It’s actually wholesome for us to consider the entire course of, not simply as clothes and their relation to trend.
RANRA lately offered its SS23 assortment which was the primary below the rebrand. How did the design and ideation course of differ from previous Arnar Mār Jōnsson collections?
AMJ: We needed to begin the gathering with the thought of archetypes – a pair of denims, an oxford shirt, a knit jumper and a windbreaker – and discover how we are able to use totally different therapies to provide totally different properties. For instance, the oxford shirt and jacket use the identical materials, however are handled in numerous methods which create totally different weights, once you maintain up the 2 gadgets subsequent to one another you can’t inform that they’re the identical material and that makes it actually thrilling.
LS: Our method was actually to discover this method by way of a full wardrobe. One of many issues we needed to push was washing therapies – these are key to those explicit garment references, however can traditionally be very unsustainable to supply. The washes we developed are totally different relying on the clothes, however every one proposes a extra sustainable various to a traditional approach. For instance, stone washing is a laser-embedded binder that we management by way of a drawing. The handled garment then has a single dye cycle with pure indigo dye to realize the look of aged denim with far much less water consumption. One other approach we used is solar bleaching. With this method, you allow the dyed material within the gentle till you obtain the required look.
What can we count on to come back from RANRA in the remainder of 2022?
We’ve our first RANRA FW22 shoe popping out in collaboration with Salomon. We tried to make the proper mountain climbing shoe utilizing pure supplies and processes with out compromising efficiency. We even have our FW22 assortment coming to shops within the fall!
Store RANRA’s SS23 assortment now, and uncover extra by way of the model’s web site.
In different information, LEMAIRE’s FW22 drop retains seductive layering on the fore.
