HISTORY OF RICH
by John Richmond - @officialjohnrichmond
Towards the end of 2000, my close friend Bryan Adams asked me if he could shoot the lookbook for the Richmond “X” collection.
I thought it could be fun; he’d bring something different to the party. As well as shooting the lookbook, I wanted to create a shot of the new “Baggy” jeans from the John Richmond collection—a risky, edgy, controversial image of a guy and a girl having “fun.”
But I knew it needed “something else” to make it memorable.
I thought of putting something across the arse of the jeans – one of my assistants actually suggested writing “ARSE”.
We tried “Richmond”, but it was too long. I shortened it to “RICH” and inadvertently created a double entendre. The first jeans was painted by hand and ironically wasn’t even in the collection. But it became the focus for the A/W collections, both Men’s and Women’s, that were a juxtaposition of sartorial ultra “classic” bespoke tailored jackets, suites and ties mixed with “destroyed” worn denim jeans.
As well as “RICH” I added more words – “Wanna Be Your Dog”, “Cool As Fuck”, “Pure”, “Trash”, “Whore”. Also, variations in the hand-sewn embellished crystal of “RICH”, “PlayStation” symbols, “Kylie”, and “Just Do It” were added.
This carried into the following year when I used the words of the “Seven Deadly Sins” paintings not only on denim but also on tailoring and knitwear.The next season, I changed all the “RICH” lettering to gothic gold embroidered on black felt patches. “RICH” took on a life of its own.
Copies could be found on many street corners and sold alongside Gucci and Prada. But as they say – “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness” – Oscar Wilde
MAKE IT 'RICH'
John Richmond is now channeling its iconic heritage into an exciting new chapter inviting a group of creatives, Davide Valalla, Agata Panucci, and LRP Laboratorio Riciclo Pelle, to reinterpret the iconic RICH logo.
MAKE IT RICH encourage also the fans of the brand to take part of the project inviting them to bring their own denim – regardless of brand – or selecting the jeans from the John Richmond collection to be customized.
DAVIDE VAVALA
BIOGRAPHY
Davide Vavalá is a 2003-born artist and content creator from Bologna. Known for his vibrant and edgy style, Davide's work is closely tied to street art, drawing inspiration from freedom and the constant pursuit of lightheartedness.
ARTWORK
The Denim were customized with Davide's signature "doodles", which he incorporates into all his works. Created using acrylic paints and brushes, these doodles stem from the artist's need to avoid "empty spaces". To him, everything around us is a canvas waiting to be filled, and in this case, the jeans serve as that surface, ready to be brought to life with color.
L.R.P
BIOGRAPHY
"Laboratorio Riciclo Pelle" is an artisanal project founded in 2021, focused on sustainability and creating unique leather items using production scraps that would otherwise be discarded. Based in Italy, the project promotes a zero-waste production system by recycling and reusing leather, often patching together their own leftover cutouts. The aim is to maintain the luxury of leather while fostering an eco-friendly fashion industry.
ARTWORK
"I was inspired by the new L.R.P. collection, starting from the classic American inspiration that characterizes the brand to the iconic '70s muscle cars. I developed the pants as if they were a stretch of Route 66, featuring a license plate, tyre marks, and arid terrain (symbolized by the raised visual texture on the front, created by stretching and glueing the leather)."
AGATA PANUCCI
BIOGRAPHY
Agata is a designer at RAL7000STUDIO. She began her journey around seven years ago in the Marche region, an important footwear district in Italy, before moving to Milan. Her interest in customizing sneakers arose out of necessity—she didn’t feel represented by the market and wanted to create something that truly embodied her unique style. Agata loves inviting people into her whimsical world, and through beadwork, she has found the perfect way to express her creativity.
ARTWORK
The concept stems from my desire to transport the viewer into my whimsical world. The idea is to exaggerate femininity in a playful and carefree way. “Starting with countless beads, I hand-stitched flowers on each letter using a needle and thread. To add sparkle, I incorporated heat-adhesive rhinestones, arranging them to form flowers across the entire back of the jeans”.
