Designer Jean Interviews

We caught up with Harie L. Robinson, President and Founder of Riejunio Premium Apparel, to get an interview about his brand. Riejunio is fairly new to us so it’s always interesting learning about the different brands. Keep on reading to find out more about the company.

DB: What inspiration goes into designing a pair of your jeans?
Four factors inspire the design of Riejunio’s jeans – cut, fabric content, thread selection and wash.

DB: What is your collection about?
I feel that collection limits the boundaries of clothing. Our core inventory (jeans and tees) are garments worn year around. Our brand represents the “Fusion of Art & Fashion. We will always stay true to European cuts with an urban edge.

DB: Why did you decide to create your brand?
I worked for Macy’s Inc for 7+ Years from the store level and corporate level. I was eventually exposed to wholesale pricing while holding the position of Regional Price Accuracy Auditor at Macy’s South. If you combine my love for fashion as a kid with my retail and corporate fashion experience at Macy’s South there lies the reason for creating Riejunio.

DB: Do you have a favorite cut you have designed?
We designed a custom sportcoat for Christopher Gholson aka Drumma Boy (3-time Grammy nominated music producer) for his reality show “Welcome to Dreamland” that aired on BET, Peachtree TV (Atlanta) and Centric Network. This coat is my favorite Riejunio piece.

DB: Who is your ideal customer?
Anyone who appreciates basic European cut jeans and tees, also understands that “Just because it’s basic doesn’t mean its’ boring. The ideal customer can also appreciate the Fusion of Art & Fashion that’s incorporated into each garment “The Urban Edge”.

DB: Which jean has been the most popular overall?
Skinny Jeans for Women and Loose Fit “Trouser cut” for Men

DB: We all love denim, but what makes it so important to you?
I’m advocate of being comfortable when conducting business or having a night on the town. Denim allows you to do both. If done properly you can wear a pair of Riejunio “Trouser Cut” Jeans for Men with a nice European cut Riejunio custom sporstcoat and still get the same feel and look of a tailored suit. The same applies for women – throw on a pair of Riejunio “Metro Wash” Bootcut jeans with a nice tailored blazer and you have a comfortable business casual attire that rival any business attire.

DB: What makes your brand so different from the others out there?
We take pride in our choice of wash, thread selection and pocket detailing, and well as fabric selection along with fabric content. Most of our denim fabric selections come from world markets like Turkey, Japan, Italy and also a few US ones like Mills located in North Carolina.

DB: What is the best feature of your jeans?
If I have to choose, I will say that the pocket designs, washes and comfortable fit. I really like our “Metro Wash” and “3D Blue Wash”. I also think that women will appreciate the fact that all of our cuts and styles have 2% Lycra.

DB: How do you go about designing your washes?
I actually shop denim unlike anyone you’ve ever met. The wash of Riejunio jeans starts out as an idea in my head, and then I purchase different washes and test different combinations to see what the outcome would be. I am always looking for new washes to help create a new look for Riejunio.

DB: What’s next for the brand?
“The Recycled Luxury Brand” TM – Riejunio Custom wear. We are going to utilize old garments from vintage stores and organic materials to create some of our custom garments for Riejunio custom wear. We are seeing how much we can get out of clothing that is no longer important to consumers. We take throw away garments and bring them back to life. It’s no different than West Coast Customs taking a 1965 Mustang and customizing the engine, interior and exterior of the vehicle.

Upcoming travel for Riejunio – The Netherlands (Rotterdam) April 1st – 3rd (New Skool Rules Music Conference) The Largest International Hip Hop & R&B Conference Worldwide http://www.newskoolrules.com/2011. We will be traveling to The Netherlands for our Second Tour of Europe. We will be marketing and selling Riejunio Jeans & tees and Introducing Drumma Boy’s collection of International Track Jackets that will be a part of DSG “Drum Squad Gear” ( www.drum-squad.com ).

Riejunio Gives Back Campaign (BBBS Atlanta) – We are going to be sponsoring a charitable foundation called Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation (Atlanta Chapter). We will be designing BBBS t-shirts that will be given away at major events scheduled for 2011.

BBBS History – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta (BBBS) has been serving the Metro Atlanta area for nearly fifty years. Our goal is to enrich children’s lives and provide a solid foundation to allow the next generation to be all they can be—one child at a time. BBBS was founded for the sole purpose of enriching the lives of children and helping them achieve their full potential through professionally-supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships. http://www.bbbsatl.org.

Be sure to check out our Brand Development and Management Company at www.r3ent.com. R3 Enterprises USA – “R3 = Resourceful, Resilient and Relentless” pursuit of impacting our youth’s cultural infrastructure by providing multicultural and innovative brands, products and services that exudes and excites our consumer base.