GOLDLBL

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ABOUT RISE GOLDLBL

GOLDLBL is a brand extension of RISE that has as it’s main tenet, the pursuit of craftsmanship, innovation and heritage within the casualwear clothing sector.

GOLDLBL is a sister brand to RISE Worldwide, (www.rise-worldwide.com) a UK streetwear collective based in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.

GOLDLBL aims to produce premium clothing collections that are unique, hand embellished and are of the highest quality. GOLDLBL is a premium offering with roots in streetwear, but

is also influenced by world culture and premium branding.

We reference Renaissance artwork and detail our garments in 22K and 24K gold. We will be releasing custom wax jackets and tshirts over summer 2009.

We are designers, tailors and streetwear afficionados.

We are GOLDLBL.

For detailed info on the ethos and philosophy behind GOLDLBL, see the pages after the product images. We discuss in depth our philosophies on

Consumerism, Branding and Luxury retail.

General Contact Info: Tom Bracewell [email protected]

Order/Buying Info: Ranui Samuels [email protected]

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APOCALYPSE

This is the first GOLDLBL tshirt on offer. It features original artwork by Albrecht Durer, circa 1515 AD. This design is printed in black eco friendly inks, and features

the demons in 3M reflective inks, and the angels in gold foil.

This tshirt is constructed of organic bamboo, and is a slimmer contoured fit. The swing tickets are hand printed and made by us, and each tshirt comes in custom packaging

We will be offering this design in 22K genuine gold at £200 per tshirt.We will also be offering this design in imitation gold at £60 per tshirt.

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PRAYING HANDS

This tshirt features original artwork by Albrecht Durer, circa 1515 AD. This design is printed in black eco friendly inks, and features the rosary in gold foil.



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HUNTING HORN

This tshirt features original artwork, circa 1400 AD. This design is printed in black eco friendly inks, and features the horn in gold foil.



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HOURGLASS

This tshirt features original artwork, circa 1400 AD. This design is printed in black eco friendly inks, and features the hourglass in gold foil.



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EGALITÉ

This custom cut n sew hood will feature neodymium magnetic buttons, french cuffs, gold plated cuff links, brooch and zip, nappa leather and lined black satin.

We will be offering this design with 23K genuine gold plated embellishments at £350 per hooded sweatshirt.

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LIBERTÉ

This custom jacket will feature neodymium magnetic buttons, waxed cotton fabric, gold plated cuff links, brooch and zip, nappa leather, iPod control systems, and lining printed with

Raphael’s “The Ascension of Christ.”

We will be offering this design with 23K genuine gold plated embellishments, with custom tailoring bespoke to fit you at £1000 per wax jacket.

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ABOUT RISE GOLDLBL

GOLDLBL is a brand extension of RISE that has as it’s main tenet, the pursuit of craftsmanship, innovation and heritage within the casualwear clothing sector.

GOLDLBL came about from my reaction to a few things in the brand/casualwear sector, and also my reaction to first world consumer culture.

BRANDING is the new God in the modern age. It seems that the advertising spin originating with household products in the 50s has well and truly done its job in the 21st century. Today, the consumer consumes whatever they are told to.

To put this idea into practice and see the real results, try using Tesco.com to do your weekly shop instead of going into the store. You will find that online, you are not as affected by the advertising instore. Instead of Heinz baked beans, a non-brand suffices. In short, you will most likely save around 20% on your food bill.

When instore, you are magically allured to the safety of the brands, though the value in those marketed brands is not inherently greater. The result is that you spend considerably more.

I am frustrated by this trend in consumerism to pursue brand status over actual quality. Cost price on a BOSS or ARMANI tshirt is negligible compared to retail value. A plain white BOSS tshirt with 1” x 1” printed logo is around £60.

Production value of this top would scarcely be £3 landed in the UK. The fabrics are mercerised cotton - a superior finish - but the product in no way reflects the exorbitant markup.

GOLDLBL is an intellectual attempt to discuss these ideas with the consumer, and create products with inherent value. Putting 23.5K gold on a shirt is the most direct way I can think of, to get this point across. Cost price on a GOLDLBL tshirt will probably push upwards of £50. RRP will be £200 or more. I feel I need to significantly increase the sale price to get my point across, and that the discussion around having actual gold on a tshirt will start people thinking about value and consumption.

Wilth GOLDLBL production, the idea is not to be luxury-driven, but value-driven. We dont want to develop a luxury brand for the sake of it. We want to create exclusivity and value. The discerning tshirt buyer will willingly pay £30 for a tshirt. We want this consumer to buy GOLDLBL - not necessarily the cash-drenched footballers or similar.

We want the discerning consumer to weigh up in their minds the cost vs value argument, and reason that 1 GOLDLBL tshirt is actually worth 10 of their regular purchases. If the consumer reaches this conclusion, they strike a minor victory for value in my mind.

My Nespresso AF-51 coffee machine is not cheap. It retails for £129 - £200 depending on the model. The coffee capsules are not too expensive - 30p each. Comparatively, a Starbucks

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latte will set you back around £2.50. I find much greater satisfaction in a simple espresso at my home, vs a Starbucks coffee. Its not an argument of unit cost and surroundings etc, it is simply that my Nespresso machine makes a superior coffee. I have found a simple liberation in my mind, knowing that I have a better value product in my home. It will take around 2 years to pay off my machine if I swap to my own coffee and avoid Starbucks. After 2 years, I have a superior coffee, and a better cost effective solution.

A similar argument can be applied to GOLDLBL. While the items are more expensive, value over time and mental resolve/psychological liberation actually leaves the customer with a greater sense of value and contentment.

To this end, we want to pull out all the stops and make these items valuable. There is a line, though that needs to be carefully navigated. GOLDLBL is not diamonds on a tshirt.

Diamonds on a tshirt is nothing more than Conspicuous Consumption ( the enemy of the GOLDLBL project ). Gold on our clothing is applied with craftsmanship, carefully placed on relevant designs that expand our thinking.

It is not crass. It is concise and almost reverent. To begin with, I am not creating any *new* graphics for GOLDLBL.

Renaissance themes, and artwork by Albrecht Durer and Gustave Dore feature in the first series. Japanese and renaissance woodcuts that predate the printing press are inspirational, as are works of the Old Masters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodcut

GOLDLBL is not a new invention, it is a reworking of craftsmanship and value using the artistic merits of the ages.

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Can all this activity actually simplify our consumer thinking?

I believe so. GOLDLBL as a collection will not appear gaudy. Jackets and cut n sew items will be fitted cuts with minimal embellishment. Our idea is to make the embellishment on the jackets removable. Our jackets will feature diecast pins and brooches, manufactured in Birminghams Jewelry Quarter.

They will be a mix of enamel and Gold, Platinum or Rhodium platings. We want them to be brooches so that they can be removed, leaving a plain garment. There will still be minimal branding, such as custom cufflinks and black on black printed satin armbands, but these are never going to be covered with loud artwork.

Colour pallettes are muted: NZ Marl Grey Merino wool, chintzed dark denim (Japanese selvedge maybe?), and dark sweatshirt material.

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Accessories are high value and custom: Nappa leather pocket flaps, subtle embroidery detail and laser engraved black buttons. Diecast, plated cufflinks, invisible magnetic buttons, and hidden iPod wireless control switches. Jacket linings made from single panel sublimated reproductions of Renaissance paintings, like the Ascension of Christ by Raphael.

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Japanese WabiSabi philosophy has influenced my design and brand ideas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabisabi

It speaks of a simpler design aesthetic that finds value in natural materials and spiritual themes, and the passing of time.

Strictly speaking a clothing label cant have wabisabi, but the introspective search for value within GOLDLBL is exactly what wabisabi is about.

Spirituality is key to GOLDLBL philosophy because it raises the viewer to a higher plane than simply buying product. We want to discuss heritage, orthodoxy, belief and purpose through a value-driven retail product. It’s not your average idea, but who wants average, right?

I guess thats the crux. If we have 70 years on earth, why dont we actually spend the time on things that we are proud of? Again, wabisabi speaking - but Death and Life are all the same cycle, and we want to create something that understands our modern life in sync with this.

I thrive on my own Existential search for truth and meaning, and my search for spirituality in a godless age is my greatest pursuit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism

Feel free to contribute to this discussion.

Contact us at [email protected].

Studio103/104b,The Big PegVyse St, Hockley, Birmingham, B18 6NF

00 44 (0)121 3149537

[email protected]@rise-worldwide.com

[email protected]

www.goldlbl.com

GOLDLBL

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