RSVP Gallery is entering a new era.
On Friday November 8, the brand’s first apparel collaboration with premium denim label AGOLDE will release through both brands’ web stores, as well as retailers like Neiman Marcus and Mr Porter. RSVP has entered a strategic partnership with AGOLDE’s parent company, Citizens of Humanity, which will manufacture RSVP Gallery’s apparel line. Don C and Virgil Abloh’s estate have maintained majority ownership of the brand.
Highlights from the debut drop include canvas work jackets, earth-toned windbreakers, double knee carpenter pants, and an assortment of pastel-shaded rugby sweaters that remind us of the College Dropout era. Overall, it’s a timeless lineup that strays away from the colorful, graphic-heavy items that Don C has built his reputation on throughout his career.
“I want RSVP to be a heritage brand. I want it to be something that’s here forever,” Don C tells Complex. “I went back to how I dressed at Kenwood Academy in 1994, very preppy but still had that street edge. That’s palatable for more people. I want the brand to be more democratic than Just Don.”
Graphics aren’t totally absent. Black long sleeve mocknecks and a hoodie feature Polaroids captured across RSVP Gallery’s 15-year history, like photos of its signature in-store Astro Boy statue, or Virgil Abloh DJing. A more comprehensive collection of archival visuals will also live inside a new coffee table book launching alongside the apparel collection.
Don C rang in the milestone earlier this week with a special activation at Selfridges in London. Events in Japan and Paris will follow. It’s a preview of what Don C envisions for the future for RSVP Gallery.
“I would like a store in Europe. I would like a store in Asia,” says Don C. “If opportunities come and make sense, I’m all for it. I want to grow this thing, but want to make sure it’s right. I’m not rushing anything.”
Back in Chicago, the brand is in the beginning stages of building its new flagship store in the city’s Fulton Market neighborhood. The 4,500-square-foot factory space will sell the new RSVP line alongside other brands like Just Don, and also house communal areas like a basketball court and fire pit.
Ahead of the collection’s debut, we spoke with Don C about the inspiration for RSVP Gallery’s new clothing, the everlasting impact of Virgil Abloh, and more.
Could you walk us through your new partnership with Citizens of Humanity?
Virgil Abloh’s estate and myself, we own RSVP. We went into a strategic partnership deal with Citizens of Humanity. RSVP will be the third brand under the Citizen of Humanity umbrella with AGOLDE. Now we have their resources, not only money but vertical manufacturing. They run a vertical business, meaning they go from farming.
Creatively, it’s our brand and they understand that. That’s what is so great about the partnership. They respect us from a cultural standpoint. They’ve let me bring in people that I worked with in the past at other brands and that I thought would have a good perspective.
I’m not rushing to make this happen. This is something that I want people to pay attention to and this is a career move. It’s not going to be like this first collection is going to be super hot. And that’s what I explained to them. I said, “Hey, your expectations shouldn’t be we’re working with Don C and it’s going to be hot. Don C is cold. But Don C can build community.” Community building is what I love to do, so I know it’s going to be so much magic that comes from this.
When will your new store open?
Summer ‘25. We’ll still carry other brands and have partnerships. We’re a multi-brand store, but it will be a more experiential place. We want to have events. We’ll have a basketball court, a fireplace, we got things that are going to make it very cozy for people to just want to be there.
It sounds like you’re setting up RSVP Gallery to be a heritage brand.
I want RSVP to be a heritage brand. I want it to be something that’s here forever. Even the new designs of the collection, I went back to my high school years. I went back to how I dressed at Kenwood Academy in 1994, very preppy but still had that street edge. That’s palatable for more people. I want the brand to be more democratic than Just Don. If you don’t like sports, you’re not going to like Just Don. I want RSVP to be something that could sit in the sports world, sit in art, and be looked at as quality fashion goods.
How does it feel to celebrate 15 years of RSVP Gallery?
Man, I don’t want to get sentimental. I don’t have my dog here with me. My man that I started this with ain’t here. I’m trying to carry it, but I’m not him. I’m trying to remember the principles that [Virgil and I] executed together. I want that to attract the community and the people that we touched. I look at the video and I almost tear up every time I see it, but Virgil says “RSVP is not a shop, it’s a platform.” It’s something that we built for these kids to get out they dreams. That’s what I’m really looking for. We want to bring that feeling back of the old shop in the basement on Damen when we first built that.
You talk about referencing your high school wardrobe for your new line. Is this also how you’re approaching getting dressed now, something more timeless?
It will be now that the RSVP collection is out. I’ve been looking like a bum lately. I got on Balenciaga sweats and some beat up Asics right now. But yes man, I’m going to be RSVP’d out. Don C about to get his fresh back on.
As far as designing the product, what made AGOLDE the right partner for you?
When I met with the AGOLDE team, I thought, “These are the people.” Our first two seasons are collaborations with AGOLDE. I think that was a great compliment because AGOLDE is a thriving women’s business, so that helped us walk in a lot of stores that wouldn’t have taken Don C seriously. It was good to be with a partner that had a great reputation with all of our retailers. And they don’t have a men’s business, so RSVP Gallery didn’t conflict. I don’t chase hype. I chase quality. That’s what I think I got here.
How do you feel about the current state of fashion?
It’s not fun right now, especially from a business standpoint. But I always say you got to evolve, in any industry. If you’re going to last in anything, you can’t stay the same.
Things were so easy. Kids were just lined up every Saturday from 2017 to 2019. Then, the pandemic boosted that even more. The market is adjusting. It’s going to get rid of the excess. I think it’s going to make things that much better. The audience wants us to compete for their attention. That makes the playing field better, competition-wise. The strong will survive.
Can you talk a bit about price point and how you wanted to approach that with this line?
With the resources of this bigger entity, we were able to deliver things at a much grander quality and valued price. I want people to feel like they’re always getting a quality product at a valued price. I don’t want it to be looked at as cheap. I challenge people to find something designed better at this price point. Nothing will be produced at a better price than what RSVP is going to deliver.
Do you have a favorite piece from the launch?
The rugbys are really reminiscent of my high school years. I love that. I love the tracksuit. I call it a “dress up tracksuit.” It’s something you could wear on an airplane and feel dressy. It’s not a traditional rugby. It’s like a sweatshirt with a rugby cut on it. The quality of the product is something that I really want to challenge people to come see in person. My hoodies are going to be your favorite hoodie. I want people to get into stuff and see how good it feels.
Knowing your history, the rugbys also feel like they could be a nod to you and Kanye back in ‘04.
It’s funny. I wasn’t thinking that as much when I was creating it, but then I saw it. I was like, “Okay, this is reminiscent of the College Dropout era.”
Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger are huge influences on me. It’s a reference to that too. The color palette I chose is not Tommy or Ralph, but the items are reminiscent of that era. That’s when I became me, man. Those were my formative years when I was in high school learning what my swag was.
There aren’t many graphics, but you put those Polaroid photos on a few T-shirts and crewnecks. There’s the coffee table book. Can you talk about honoring the history of RSVP through those visuals?
It’s cool to bring certain moments from our history to that art form. We are privileged to have Virgil on one of them. It’s the first collaboration with the Virgil Abloh Foundation, VAF. We’re really excited about that. All the proceeds from that shirt are going to VAF. I also have the privilege of hosting a lot of the curriculum for the kids that are enrolled in the kickoff VAF program that is happening right now.
This might go without saying, but why was it important for you to make sure Virgil’s stamp was still on this new RSVP collection?
It’s not just me. It’s him and me. He’s such an important leader. Even if he wasn’t a founder of this brand, I would be leaning on his influence. Almost every brand is leaning on his influence. The privilege that I have to work closely with his foundation, his wife being my partner, is something that I appreciate. I want this to be something that she’s proud of. We keep his legacy alive in so many different forms.
You’re doing the launch event at Selfridges. Why London?
Selfridges was the retailer that wanted to do it. [Laughs.] We’re also doing a pop-up next month in Tokyo and then in Paris in January during Fashion Week. I’m trying to keep the energy going. This is a global brand, but I want the core messaging to be based in Chicago. I think London just helps message that it is a global brand.
Do you see a future where RSVP has stores in some of these places?
Absolutely. I would like a store in Europe. I would like a store in Asia. If opportunities come and make sense, I’m all for it. I want to grow this thing, but we want to make sure it’s right. I’m not rushing anything. We want people to participate and we want people to love it. I don’t want to come with a big first single that’s so hot that now my second single flops. I’s not good to grow too fast because then your foundation isn’t strong.
Our goal is for people to like the product and respond. Maybe the response is, “Hey, this could have been done better.” That’s still a response. We got to be a little patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
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