In the grilling daze of a South Australian summer, the leafy canopy of Ebenezer Place offers tranquil repose for the alfresco friends perched out the front of denim institution RHD. A couple of footstools and a denim beanbag cradle a handful of regular heads: cultured humans with an appreciation for anything quality, including of course, a little heartfelt banter. RHD has become so much more than a denim store. Aside from spearheading Adelaide’s love for top-end casual wear, there’s a certain vitality emanating from the store. You can feel a sense of familiarity as soon as you walk in, and an eagerness for all walks of life to engage in the spirit of the establishment. It’s a culture that has emerged organically.
Andy Watson opened the store in 2009. After stints in Sydney, England and Japan, the ex-motor mechanic and brand wholesaler now trades in the finest cuts of denim, along with nifty staples and other essential wares. His storefront is simple and polished. The walls are adorned with well-worn classics or ‘graduates’ of the pre-outsource era, mostly from his own collection, but all of which demonstrate the aesthetic of true and earnest craftsmanship.
With UV ratings bordering the ultraviolent, I saddled up a few chilly cans of Guinness and took Andy aside to mull over why RHD is what it is, and what blokes need to understand about value in today’s global circus.
RHD is the sole Australian stockist for Samurai Jeans, Momotaro, The Flat Head, Sugar Cane, Buzz Rickson and Mister Freedom. Any other names on the horizon?
We’ve got Warehouse, out of Osaka, which is lined up with Larry McKaughan who owns Heller’s Cafe, so we’re doing both Warehouse and Heller’s separately. We’ve had a good chat with the boys from Rising Sun; there’s always a few small ones we like to bring through, guys we’ve watched for a little while to see what they do, see where they head. We’ve got a meeting lined up with Engineered Garments, we’d like to explore that. Most times we don’t jump in with an order; we like to meet and make sure both parties want the same thing.
We’ve got Palace coming through, which I guess for us taps into… well, you know we’ve been doing Pass-Port for nearly two years.
That’s a solid Australian brand.
Yeah, and there’s not too many Aussie brands – it’s kinda sad. We’d love to do more, but I guess they’re all chasing something that we don’t see. We gotta find the ones with a bit more nuts about them… It’s almost like, if hiking wear is cool for the week, then there’ll be five new hiking brands — but you couldn’t climb Mount Lofty on a summer’s day in the fuckin’ things, know what I mean?
Ha! Yeah, I get ya mate.
With the Pass-Port boys, what really appealed to us from the word go is that the lads skate, and they only make what they need. They’re not trying to be anyone; they wanna get their artwork out onto some backs and give the lads who’re workin’ hard some love…
I mean, they’re doing a 55 buck tee, ya know? It’s not trying to be a luxury street-wear brand. You wanna skate? Skate. Respect.
Same with The Supply brand. From the word go.
Is that an old ally?
Shawn has been instrumental. I actually went for a job with him back in 2002 when I lived in Sydney… and he didn’t gimme the fuckin’ job, ha! I’ve always respected him and what he’s done. He’s been a great sounding board for me. The Supply Store is coming up on ten years now!
Now, I know that functionality reigns above all else in your appreciation of any piece – the less superfluous nonsense, the better. So, what else motivates your buying?
We’re influenced by where we do the majority of our business: Adelaide. We are somewhat limited. We have to be selective – select out of it.
Also, for instance, Samurai Jeans will only do a certain style of jeans maybe twice a year.
It always been quite an eclectic range of gear. Only bits and pieces, as you’ve suggested.
It’s very much down to things that I’d wear, or that I’d like to wear…
I’m not gonna buy something for the sake of ‘This will make me cash’, I’ll buy it because it’s fucking dope. Either I’d wear it, or I wish I had the balls to wear it.
We’re into edited pieces in a small run. We don’t have an endless tree of cash — we started it with fuck-all. We’re not bankin’ gold bars. There’s no harm in doing so, but we didn’t do it for this.
So why Adelaide? Out of all the places you could have set up shop…
Family. I moved here when I was young, from London. I met my wife here, and we thought we’d go and see the world so we went travelling for ten years. We always knew we’d come back at some point.
We wanted to give something back – put something else in as opposed to walking away from it. There are still times when it’s tough, but the more people who stay, the more who come back, the more people will realise Adelaide is a really strong and friendly place. You can do your own thing and have a great standard of living… with a bit of balance.
It’s a great culture here, man.
… and you can make your mark here a tad easier. You jump into London, and you’re swimming with another twenty dudes who’re really fucking good.
So… big fish in a small pond? Ha.
[Laughs.] Yeaaah, but it’s true. So, we also loved the idea of Adelaide being offered up pieces that are in-season, as opposed to riding off the back of last season.
We’re 99% Northern Hemisphere… it’s a 38 degree today, and we’re releasing a blanket-lined fuckin’ mountain parka. Cool? Haha.
Classic. For the record, we’re looking at a wall of Sugar Cane’s latest, fully blanket-lined parkas… and I’ve been sweatin’ in the shade out front in a T-shirt.
It is tricky at times. Guys out of Japan have such a strong winter, but we can’t afford to do their biggest and best ’cause… well, we’re fuckin’ 42 degrees.
Tell us more about the Union Special chain-stitch sewing machine you have in-store.
It’s an old ’40s/’50s Union Special. There’s a lot of machines that chain-stitch. The difference with this one is that the foot pressure is extremely high, and it’s a front feed as opposed to a side feed; it’s gotta give a robust stitch. Any of your old Levis, pre ’70s, were hemmed using this machine.
Hard-wearing gear…
Built to last. In being authentic, that’s really the only chain-stitch machine for us to use.
It’s got a powerful punch, which is what you need for these higher weight denims.
Correct. Any jean of calibre, any jean we value as an authentic jean should be altered in the same way it’s made. We sell a lot of denim that is still made in the traditional way, so for us, having this machine is essential. After aligning with Samurai Jeans we were linked up by Matsuka-san, an important gentleman who supplies most of Japan’s jeansmakers with their machinery (and services it).
The store turns into quite a workshop on occasion, doubling as an everyman’s backyard shed, a quite place one can go for a quiet moment’s solace aside from loved ones.
It’s guys going back to being guys, ya know? I don’t wanna use the word ‘metrosexual’ here, but there was such a time there when guys were spending more time getting ready than what their partner was. If you were into clothing then you were into what was supercool, fashionable and looking pretty.
Guys have realised that there’s a middle ground. You need to be able to change a lightbulb. You need to be able to fix your lawnmower… or just mow your own fucking lawn. There’s that masculinity coming back, and in my experience it’s come back with guys building their bikes, buying bike parts or remodelling their pushbikes again.
If their jeans break, I’ve got bits here so guys can come in and stitch a button back on, use the space and take some time. I mean, how many guys nowadays can actually put a button back on a fucking shirt?
Yeah, well it’s something you should’ve learned in cub scouts.
That’s it! But that’s all gone now… I guess it’s just the era that I just grew up in. Learned how to build fires, ya know, build huts… I’ve always been a hands-on type of guy. A lot of guys I know don’t even have a tool box…
Nor are they comfortable with getting their hands dirty.
Get back into making shit yourself, and fixing things, as opposed to just throwing it away if something breaks.
… or just outsource it to Mum.
Shocker.
Someone phrased something to me a while ago that resonates with an attitude we both probably share. They said, “I can’t afford to buy cheap shit anymore.” What are your thoughts on this?
It’s so true. The world we live in now, for a long time now it’s been about accumulating as much as you can, as opposed to editing out what you don’t need.
Rather than having fifteen pairs of jeans that will fall apart, buy two pairs of jeans that will last ya. I think there’s such a discrepancy now in what value is. In the Australian market, in most Western markets, value is price, value is cheap. Whereas for me, value is something that lives up to it’s expectation. Fits the way it should, behaves the way it should, and lasts me…
I can’t afford to buy a new set of plates every year. I wanna buy a set that I can pass onto my kids… but now the whole heirloom thing is gone. I mean, what are we gonna collect from the last fifteen years? You can’t give them a blender, ’cause it won’t fuckin’ last that long.
We seem to want so many things, so I guess the majority of production is compromised on quality. This definitely equates to jeans. We definitely are a ‘less is more’ kinda store…
So you’re a ‘less is more’ kinda guy?
Ha, oh yeah, I mean, I have a good collection… but I don’t have a wardrobe teeming with stuff. I have some basic stuff that if it wears out, I’ll replace it with a similar thing.
You shouldn’t need to replace your wardrobe every year. You don’t ‘buy’ a wardrobe of clothes either, you ‘build’ a wardrobe of clothes. I’ve got things in there that are really old that are still relevant; they’re timeless pieces. When you buy a new anything, you should wash it a lot, wear it a lot, and have it still come out the same fit, same colour and the same shape over time.
It’s such a ‘now’ thing these days; everyone wants everything now. Even down to jeans, there’s so many fucking rinses and washes.
The information super-brothel now keeps everyone in the know, especially the designers and ‘brand replicators’. Is it still easy to sift through the waste and find a true gem?
I think we’ve been lucky. I’ve done it long enough to see what has heritage and what comes from substance, but we’ve been very lucky. As much as the internet does have its place, made things more accessible, I can’t say I’m a big fan of selling online.
It’s also shown up a lot of honesty in many brands. You can’t bluff anyone, and say ‘this is great’ and then also be found in the cheapest places in the world being sold for nine bucks. This is good on the clothing side of things: it’s shortened the lifespan of many brands and will continue to shorten the lifespan of any new brand. To be a new brand in the age we live in today? You’ve gotta be fucking good, you’ve gotta be fucking special.
So I guess the internet’s a demon on one hand and your brother on the other. It’s a double-edged sword.
Tell me about your appreciation for Japanese culture? Is the Japanese model one we should learn from?
I think there are definitely elements that we can take from them. No matter what they’re doing in life, there’s pride, ’cause it’s a reflection of them personally. Whatever job you have, even if you don’t particularly like it, you do it the best you can do. Whatever they wear, it’s always neat and respectable. Personal presentation. Got a pair of good shoes? Shine the fuckin’ things.
Japan respects the details. They research why they’re buying and why they want something, or why they want to produce something. Especially in the garment industry, they see the longevity of a brand that’s coming through being consistent. They care about the details, as opposed to brands having no control over production – either the cloth, or the quality of production itself. They like to know where it’s from and why it’s being done in the way that it is.
Japanese people are proud because they care. This is something we’ve definitely picked up on, and we respect it.
Any forecasts for exclusive RHD brand goods? Something to put your name to… Collabs?
Hmm. We’ve been asked to do some good stuff, like with The Flat Head. We were asked to do an RHD jean which is an honour considering the size of the company and Kobayashi-san’s knowledge and stature within the industry. Similar story with Momotaro… but we’ve turned it down.
Without biting everyone here, I think the whole collaboration thing is overplayed and I wish it would stop. Unless you can bring something to the table to improve the product, make your own shit.
I couldn’t go to Nagomi-san from Samurai and say “This is my take on what you’re doing”. As far as I’m concerned he makes the best fucking jean in the world. If I was to go to him, I might change the cut or the thread, the stitch count, or a different back patch or pocket lining… or maybe have an influence on the fabric itself. Unless I could improve it though, all I’m doing is personalising it.
Samurai are so good at what they do. Unless I can improve it, there’s no point. That’s why I’ve never had my own brand. Unless I could be better than all the guys I respect, what’s the point?
…too busy enjoying the craftsmanship of others.
Completely. 100 percent. It’s like asking your favourite winemaker to make a wine with more berry in it Jimmy. He’d go, “Fuck, well, go buy one with more berry in it”.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Fuck yeah.
Photography by James Hartley.