Robert Rodriguez Returns With Denim-Skewed Women’s Collection

Robert Rodriguez knows a thing or two about pivoting.

Over the course of his long career in fashion, the Cuban-born and Miami-raised designer has worked for Christian Dior, Laundry by Shelli Segal and Halston. He also had his own eponymous line of contemporary women’s sportswear for 15 years and last year, created an eveningwear collection called Kolston.

But today, he has a new focus — premium jeanswear and sportswear — and he’s lined up a key partner in One Jeanswear Group to help him launch the Robert Rodriguez New York collection beginning in spring 2025.

After a limited soft launch for fall, the spring collection consists of jackets, knitwear, tops, dresses, skirts and bottoms in high-end fabrics and innovative washes.

Rodriguez describes the collection as a “casual lifestyle brand that emphasizes denim and is a little bit elevated. We are actually going into a lot of sweater yarns, because we feel it’s important — different stitches, different weights, different silhouettes, some fitted, some slouchy. There are a lot of jerseys and sheer meshes and some twills. And most of it has stretch.”

In an interview in the One Jeanswear Group offices in New York’s fashion district, Rodriguez and his chief executive officer Nicola Guarna explained that the relationship between Rodriguez and One Jeanswear Group is closer than most licensor-licensee deals and is a true partnership. The two companies have a long history and when the decision was made to relaunch the Robert Rodriguez line, it was a no-brainer to assign the license to One Jeanswear Group and its founder and CEO Jack Gross.

“I’ve always loved the design and aesthetic of the brand,” Gross said. “Nicola’s relationships with the retailers is really amazing and I’ve always had the highest and most utmost respect for Robert. The good news is Robert Rodriguez does not have any baggage and in today’s world, people are looking for newness because some of the brands they currently have are a little dusty. I think Robert Rodriguez is something that has the futuristic aspect that the customer wants.”

Gross added that Rodriguez and Guarna are “very engaged in the process, and we welcome their input and their partnership, because they know the brand and what it represented before, and we together know what’s it’s going to be.”

In its past life, the Robert Rodriguez Collection had been acquired by the Jones Apparel Group in 2010 for $28 million. Four years later, Jones itself was acquired by Sycamore Partners for $2.2 billion. Under this private equity ownership, however, the Robert Rodriguez brand was no longer being produced and four years ago, Guarna and Rodriguez managed to buy back the name. They held onto it for a while until they were ready for a relaunch, at which point they contacted Gross.

“We got in touch with Jack because he was one of our biggest supporters,” Guarna said.

Together, they decided to have the collection be rooted in denim, a category of strength for One Jeanswear Group. “We’re at the beginning of what I believe to be a big denim cycle, and that usually lasts five years,” Gross said. “It’s really an exciting time with all the new nuances and shapes, leg openings, rises, barrel jeans. During the pandemic, denim became soft. There was not enough newness and the leg shapes were the same. Now, with all this variety — low rise, high rise, mid rise, wide legs, boot cuts, slim-straights, straights — there’s a lot of variety. The key word to our company is balance, and that’s what we’re focusing on, having a balance of leg openings, rises and the right washes.”

The collection will be targeted to upper-tier department stores where Gross believes there is a “tremendous opening for new and exciting product at what I would call accessible and affordable pricing.”

Denim will retail for $88 to $128, knit tops for $48 to $78, woven tops for $78 to $128, sweaters for $68 to $98, bottoms for $88 to $128, dresses for $118 to $168 and jackets for $218.

“They’re spending a lot of time really selecting the right washes,” Gross said of Rodriguez and Guarna. “If you look at our products, they’re very feathered and the fabrics are elevated. The customer knows that, they’re smart. They don’t mind paying more, but they want more.”

The reaction to the soft launch was encouraging, they said, stressing that the plan is to sell a limited number of doors where they can obtain better exposure and create demand. “Then we’ll let the consumer be the judge,” Gross said.

Robert Rodriguez New York will be housed in the contemporary departments at stores where Gross believes it will thrive against the competition. “We feel that we stand out and are different from the other brands,” he said.  

The silhouettes are “more architectural,” Rodriguez said, and the entire focus of the line is “day to evening. We feel there’s a big void in that area.” He described the line as a juxtaposition of both masculine and feminine detailing with a dressy feel. “That’s always been my thing,” Rodriguez said.

Gross added: “It’s a well merchandised line that really answers the questions of what the woman is looking for today. It covers all classifications, from jackets and dresses to skirts. I don’t like to use the words ‘lifestyle brand,’ but it’s an item-intensified concept.”

The target customer is wide, they said. “I don’t think there’s an age group,” Rodriguez said. “There are pieces for everyone in the collection and is for someone who wants to fell hip and young.”

Although a lower-priced, denim-focused line is new for Rodriguez whose earlier contemporary sportswear designs hung with Phillip Lim, DVF and others, the aesthetic is the same. And the price points are more reasonable because of One Jeanswear Group’s size and sourcing capabilities. The company owns or licenses a large number of brands including Gloria Vanderbilt, Jessica Simpson, Sam Edelman, C Wonder, Bass Outdoor and Cross Eyed Moose.

“We make in about 10 countries and we’re able to leverage the fabric buys to have more accessible pricing than they had before,” Gross said.

In terms of marketing, Rodriguez himself will be used in the materials. “He’s a real person and we think the timing is perfect. In today’s world, we need more visible American designers,” Gross said.