A No-Show: Rag & Bone Unveils Its New Collection With a Futuristic Dinner

A No-Show: Rag & Bone Unveils Its New Collection With a Futuristic Dinner

Last night in Brooklyn, Rag & Bone delivered on its promised premise of “A Last Supper,” at least aesthetically. There was nothing too grim about the crowd, which was made up of creative New Yorkers ranging from actors Lakeith Stanfield and Keri Russell to the Safdie brothers and Mikhail Baryshnikov. All clad in the brand’s latest collection—Josh Safdie wore an entirely tartan ensemble, while model Camille Rowe wrapped herself in orange silk—guests gathered under the domed ceiling of the Weylin in Williamsburg for a candelabra-lit dinner that was filled with mind-bending entertainment. (Also true to Da Vinci days, the U-shape table was set with an array of goblets.) Rag & Bone designer Marcus Wainwright explained that choosing those 50 guests to don the newest collection was not a difficult task. “We wanted the dinner to feel very familial, and so we cast friends and family of the brand.” Lucky for him, that included some A-list individuals.

Estela chef Ignacio Mattos and food writer Tamar Adler curated a vegetable-forward menu for the event, and as dinner was served, a projection on the wall displayed a “3-D point cloud” of guest’s actions as processed by an artificial intelligence system. At times the projection showed typed words, recited by the voice of Thom Yorke. At other times, it was accompanied by a set of dancers directed by Belgo-French choreographer Damien Jalet, who’s been involved in similarly otherworldly projects like Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria.

At the same time uptown, Tomo Koizumi presented dreamy confections deliciously offset by models’ close-cropped hair, but this Brooklyn gang was preoccupied with a more mysterious vision of the future. Though we have yet to realize all the forms artificial intelligence will take, it will inevitably impact all industries. The ever-growing decision-making capabilities of machines can seem a dark subject, but there was no feel of doomsday as guests made their way to the after-party at Dumbo’s 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge.

A more traditional light show took over as the Manhattan skyline came into view—with Lady Liberty off in the distance—through the windows of the 10th-floor bar. Models shrugged off their coats and actors clinked Paloma cocktails. New conversations began as the dinner’s sense of possibility and appreciation for human connection spread to a second part of the city.