rebuslife-blog

[rebuslife-blog]

THE FEASTING ROOM: “A DIFFERENT BEAST EVERY WEEK” It is my pleasure and and honor to be sitting at the Roosevelt Hotel pool Sunday night at 9 pm writing this blog about The Feasting Room.

More importantly, I get to write a blog about my oldest friend.

He is a brother from another mother. That saying is true as true can be. We were born 8 months apart but went to preschool together and followed each other back and forth until we graduated from high school. For the first few years of my life we were actually neighbors. Now don’t get me wrong, we have had some rough patches but I'm going to shed some light on the Noah Goldberg I remember - and then I will tell you all about the all-mighty “feasting room.” The first story I am going to tell you, my mother tells with fondness in her eyes. When I was in JK or SK, we would always come home at lunch. My mother remembers one day when we came home for lunch and Noah said the following “I want KD" (kraft dinner)!

My mother was baffled by this as she and my father had recently moved to Toronto from Cape Town, South Africa. Perplexed at the seemingly strange food request, she  asked Noah "whats KD?"

He ran home, got the instant macaroni and gave it to my mother. She was baffled by this but made it anyways as she shook her head wondering what kind of food could this possibly be. I can always guarantee that I will hear this story once a year when recalling old stories of Noah and I! As well, when we were younger, I remember he was the absolute pickiest eater I have ever encountered in my entire life. He wouldn’t eat 99 percent of the food that would be served at a regular lunch or dinner table. He knew what he liked and ate what he liked. A few years ago, we reconnected after a few years of losing touch. He told me he had started cooking. I was surprised and asked "What are you cooking?" At this point, he had had stints as a sous chef in New York, London England,  and Toronto among other cities in some of the finest restaurants in the world.

The notoriously picky eater was honing his craft, slowly.

He also makes these 6-7-8 course dinners with a theme for his friends and loved ones - by far one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced in my life. Good food, good drink, and good company. Me being the schmuck that I am, I loudly rate each and every one if his dishes minutes after consuming them. On January 31st 2012, we launched our first collection at the now infamous New Era party - and I was absolutely amazed and honoured to have my brother from another mother cater the event to absolute perfection! A couple weeks ago he decided to open his very first "pop-up restaurant" called The Feasting Room. The schtick? A different beast every week would be consumed, head to toe.

What an idea!

6 courses all pertaining to the same animal, be it a cow, pig, rabbit, lamb ... the list goes on.  I personally have been there for the cow and the lamb, and I must say though I am not much of a meat eater these dinners were absolutely incredible. The atmosphere is addictive, the decor is creative, and the food is delicious!

I am truly proud of my best friend and brother Mr. Noah Goldberg, and honestly cannot wait to see what he has in store for us in that kitchen in his head. Kudos my man ... Kudos!

- Adam

[rebuslife-blog]

DUDE ...

Great Looks in another stunner from Lookbookdotnu and fully worthy of a reblog ...

As our dear friend, REBUS family member and emerging Type D "Dude-Living Refined" frontman Damon Snider (more on him in another post) would say:

Dude-Approved!

The V (by Sietske L)

[rebuslife-blog]

REBUS LIVING: MODERN ART - REDEFINED

Rarely do we reblog on REBUS LIFE, but sometimes things are too good not to be shared. Local Toronto designer Daniel Tanenbaum is creating waves by the magic that is being pumped out of his studio - miniature motorcycle sculptures made purely from discarded pieces of designer watches.  The son of esteemed vintage jewelry connoisseur Carole Tanenbaum, this emerging artist's work is now garnering acclaim world-wide for its craftsmanship, uniqueness, and meticulous attention to detail

DESIGNERS WE LOVE: DAN TANENBAUM

Why are we showcasing motorbikes right now?

Sheer passion and the drive to channel the creative spirit into creating art that will be treasured, appreciated and well-received is enough to be the genesis of any modern art that is relevant.

In this case, the artist in question is the son of Carole Tanenbaum - Daniel - who has been garnering acclaim as of late for the stunning beauty and craftsmanship of his miniature motorcycles built from discarded and unwanted watch parts.

It’s always incredible to be a part of something that has never been done before - and the world-wide press (and art collectors) are starting to take notice.

More here: http://is.gd/zJtiqL

Check out Daniel’s pieces on Facebook: www.facebook.com/watchpartsmotorcycles

[rebuslife-blog]

REBUS MEETS CODY SIMPSON AT W&W PR'S INFLUENCERS LOUNGE

The MuchMusic Video Awards had Toronto on fire this weekend! It seemed like every night there were 50 different things to do, and we are still recovering. As the celebs pour into town from all corners of the planet, typically there are branded experiences  called gifting lounges that are set up, allowing fashion brands and many others from other industries to meet and mingle with the stars. The INFLUENCERS LOUNGE designed by W&W PR was one of the most successful this past Saturday!

We want to extend a much-deserved thank you to Jen Williams and Lori Williamson of W&W PR after REBUS was invited to take part! These hard-working gals are one of the most efficient PR outfits that we have ever had the privilege of working with, and the success of the event showed how seriously they take their craft.

It was a great day meeting and talking REBUS with some real power players such as emerging Australian teen sensation Cody Simpson (who just couldn't get enough of our LAZYPANTS®), Greta Constantine, Victoria Duffield, Down With Webster, The Midway State, UFC fighter Mark Hominick, designer Ron White, CTV's Brian Williams, NHL stars Wayne Simmonds, Chris Stewart, Anthony Stewart and Joel Ward ... the list goes on! 

We are looking forward to more amazing experiences working with these lovely gals - thanks W&W!

[rebuslife-blog]

REBUS X CAMP TIMBERLANE!!

With under two weeks to go before summer sessions start at camp, its about time we let the cat out of the bag ...

LAZYPANTS® are the official sweats of Camp Timberlane for Summer 2012!

Lets face it - a lot of us have had different summer camping experiences over the years, and we can all name off the camps that we love and are loyal to. However, Timberlane is notably enjoying its place right now at the top of the summer camp roost. Word on the street is that Timberlane is has become simply an unstoppable machine of efficiency that has been cranking out some of the most memorable camping experiences for the last several years - leaving its competitors to play a maddening game of catchup!

One thing is for sure - their savvy use of social media and digital marketing is impressive, at a time when many organizations across all industries still struggle with how exactly to engage online.

REBUS is proud to work with Camp Timberlane in 2012 - enjoy your branded LAZYPANTS® this summer session (some of us wear them around the REBUS office just because they are so awesome to look at!) - and we look forward to collaborating more with this great camp in the future!

[rebuslife-blog]

PRODUCTION 2012 PERSPECTIVES: THE BACKWARDS SIDE OF ISTANBUL

As I sit in the hotel room on the last day of this production/sampling trip, I reflect on what has happened in the last 19 days.  Of course, I am proud of what Julien and myself have accomplished in our time here, as it is no small feat. (I must add that Julien is tenderly asleep, snoring his arse off at 11:45am. )

The days were long and daunting, and I know we couldn’t be happier to come home feeling like war heroes. Here are some of the things I have learned along the way this time around ….

As you may well know from my past blogs and for those of you who know me personally, I like loads of ice in my drinks. I was stuck not knowing how to ask for lots of ice since this is a foreign country and I don't speak Turkish! Now the first thing I learned was that ice is an absolute luxury here. 9 out of 10 restaurants do not posses an ice maker. If they do have ice, all I have to say now is “cup bal bus” meaning cup "lots of ice." As always, my drinks must stay refreshing and cold. I would have it no other way.

The second thing I realized yet again when I was here is that everywhere on the streets of Istanbul, especially in the bazaar, the saying “one mans trash is another mans treasure” is as true as true can be.

I never really understood what that fully meant until I started analyzing everything here as if I was the Terminator. You can find anything your heart can imagine in this city. But you can also find a ton of trash. (For example, paper bracelets that look like leather?? Ya, I know. Weird!)

The third and final and probably most important thing I learned is that life is all about waiting. Doesn't matter what your doing, who you are with, or what you are waiting for.

You will always be waiting.

As a child, you wait to grow up. As a teen, you wait to hit puberty and graduate high school. As a young adult, you wait for university to end and go into the working world. The working world is where I thought I could finally control the waiting and minimize it.

Boy was I wrong.

In the working world, I am always waiting - and on this trip I realized just how much waiting I would have to do. The problem is, Julien and I are very impatient rabblerousers. When we were told we had to take the day off while the factory would be working on some important aspect of production where our presence was not required, we would both look at each other and have no idea what to say or do. 

If a car is running one hundred miles an hour, when you brake it might make an awkward squealing sound.

There were several days during production that I liken to days of awkward squealing sounds. Most people would go to the Blue Mosque or the Bosphorus, but because I had been to these places so much already during my times in Istanbul, I didn’t know what to do with my downtime this time around. We just had to wait wait wait and wait some more. We did manage to squeeze in 4 movies - I must say The Avengers was fantastic - kudos Josh Whedon!

Despite all the waiting, I do believe that we managed on this latest production run to create my dream in this second line of REBUS. Travel bags, hoodies, wallets, belts, scarves, beautiful button downs, t -shirts, cardigans, selvedge denim, khakis ...  and all the new washes and colors of LAZYPANTS® that I am certain you will all love. 

Its funny, I have dreamed this REBUS dream for 6 years, and now finally it is coming to reality. You try, you fail, you get knocked down, you get back up, and try again, and again, and again.

Finally, one time, it works. 

From my mouth to your ears, I will continue to come on these daunting trips to Istanbul that are so full of moments of waiting. I will continue to experience a life so foreign to me I watch with awe and wonderment. I will continue to cherish having Shabbat dinners with our dear Turkish brother Hakan. All so that I may share my vision with everyone - a vision of love, charity, comfort, and style.

"Inshallah" is what they say here - it means "praise God, so that everything will go right."

So Inshallah to everyone out there that you may continue to have a healthy and happy life … the REBUS life ...

The only life I know.

 - Adam Bledin, REBUS President & Creative Director

[rebuslife-blog]

REBUS DEBUTS LAZYPANTS® AT CANADA'S PREMIERE RETAIL FASHION BOUTIQUE - MAY 31, 2012

REBUS is happy to announce that we will be launching the updated version of our LAZYPANTS® collection tomorrow evening at the hallowed mecca of Toronto luxury retail fashion - TNT The New Trend Hazelton Lanes!

TNT has been a solid partner of ours in the past, as they were among some of the first retailers in the city to carry our REBUS Premium Denim brand. 

LAZYPANTS® will be available in all 18 colors also at TNT's Forest Hill location on Eglinton Avenue.

REBUS will take the opportunity to have the launch coincide with Greg Lauren's* highly anticipated Spring Summer 2012 Trunk Show where he will debut his collection to the Canadian marketplace. 

*For those of you who do not know much about the under-the-radar American designer and artist who also happens to be the nephew of fashion phenom Ralph Lauren, a simple visit to the website of his eponymous brand will blow you away. Lauren's old-world approach to the construction of his pieces, coupled with the heavy emphasis on the distressed look, makes for very visually arresting fare that seems much more haute couture than ready-to-wear.

[rebuslife-blog]

ITS OFFICIAL: LAZYPANTS® 2.0 IS HERE - IN 18 COLORS!

There are small (very small) cosmetic changes and structural improvements for this latest edition of LAZYPANTS® that is now available through private order and will be available online and in boutiques within the next several weeks, but the biggest change is the addition of 14 vibrant colors to the original 4.  To answer your questions for now (and give you something to think about before you come in for private fittings), here is a rundown of the new color palette:

PURPLE WHITE CREAM DARK TEAL*

AQUA BLUE MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP BLACK

CHARCOAL*

LIGHT GREY*

RETRO GREY FUCHSIA BABY PINK STRAWBERRY MUSTARD YELLOW BURGUNDY MAPLE LEAF BLUE RASPBERRY RED

*season 1 colors

Start filling out your wishlist now, and keep checking www.rebuslife.com in the coming weeks for some big changes and additions!

[rebuslife-blog]

FROM ISTANBUL TO INNISFIL - A WHIRLWIND

What a whirlwind it has been since February - shockingly, the last time we posted on our beloved Tumblr.

Listen, we know content is king. As a young apparel brand, we have lived by this mantra. Those who create content have power, and that is readily apparent by the unstoppable rise of the fashion blogosphere in the last three years, to heights and relevance once unimaginable.

All hands are on deck as always behind the scenes at REBUS, and if anything can be said we have been busy. Very busy.

You may recall a post from us last March where we highlighted a hilarious graphic from New England-based apparel brand Ugmonk that managed to capture a great deal of the everyday concerns for any fashion house.  As much as things were getting busy for us, admittedly many things on that list were aspirational at the time.

Aspirations have turned into reality.

In 2012 alone, we have seen some amazing developments with the REBUS brand, the biggest of which happened to be the meteoric demand for one of our in-house brands, LAZYPANTS®. Starting in January when we were picked up by GQ at Project New York, the consumer appetite for REBUS to perfect and expand on its lounge-wear offerings has forced us, as any attentive company, to listen to you and give you exactly what you want.

To add to the craziness, in the last month Adam Bledin and Julien Abesdris (our creative and art directors respectively) have already embarked on and returned from a production run to Istanbul where we not only have expanded the LAZYPANTS® line to include 15 new vibrant colors, but the burgeoning designer extraordinaires put the finishing touches into place for REBUS' Spring/Summer 2013.

To our fans, friends and family, we have to say that we continue to do our best to serve you; to our detractors and haters (and we have garnered quite a few in the 18 months since our resurrection as REBUS Productions), all we can offer is our condolences - we held nothing back in seeking to grow on our success. 

We have expanded the LAZYPANTS® brand to feature amazing colors and exclusive combinations; we have streamlined (and renamed) the former Rebus Premium Denim brand to now simply be known as Rebus Denim and to offer only the finest from our first collection The Nest (plus some other surprises - more on this in another post); and we have aggressively augmented our REBUS Accessories brand to give you some amazing pieces that you will treasure for ages to come. As well, there will be an exclusive brand offered in 2013 that we call REBUS Executive Class - some of the finest pieces in our 2013 collections will appear under this label.

There is so much to tell you that needless to say you can expect a return to our regular posting schedule - after an inexcusable 12 week hiatus.  But last and by no means least, let me call your attention to the beautiful candid picture that adorns this post.  It is but a glimpse of the success of our latest shoot, held this past weekend in Innisfil, Ontario.

We have long been very vocal about REBUS needing to capture the essence of our Canadian identity and transport it to the world, in much the same way marquee American brands like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein or even Bill Blass had to in order to garner success. 

Our latest shoot was designed to do just that - bringing a pastime as quintessentially Canadian as the weekend cottage getaway right to the imaginations and eyes of the viewer.  With many thanks to our beautiful group of models this weekend, to the attentive attention to styling and detail by our team, and the continually transcendent photography of our beloved Matt Feinstein (who was joined by some seriously prolific guest photogs in Danielle Dasilva and Conrad Mcgee-Stocks), special appearances by REBUS brand ambassadors KO and STEPH J as well as ongoing DJ sets by emerging stars DJ KTRON  and FREE n' LOSH - not to mention having the weekend sponsored by our friends at Amsterdam Brewery and their popular 416 Urban Wheat offering ...

Now THAT is the definition of living the Rebus LIFE - and that was just this past weekend!

- Moshe

Stay tuned for more pictures from our REBUS LAZYPANTS® S/S 2013 Canada Cottage shoot; in addition, visit www.rebuslife.com as well as our partner vendors as we offer more and more of the LAZYPANTS® line in brilliant new colors - with much in store for our upcoming S/S 2013 offering.

[rebuslife-blog]

THE FINER THINGS IN LIFE

Why Lazypants, you ask?

This seems to be the re-occurring question.

It’s a simple answer. And I swear to g-o-whatever you may believe in that I have never held a steady job in my life. I was the epitome of lazy. I would wake up, go shopping, go eat, or distract myself with a million different errands on a daily basis. That was, if I decided to leave my house.

I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life.

I was lost. Now sure I started Rebus 1.0 a while back and that was a lot of hard work, but I wasn't ready then. I was like a deer caught in the headlights. This industry is for men among boys it seems, immortals among mortals, giants among regular folk. I learned that the hard way the first time I tried to enter the schmata biz.

Nowadays, I am a bit more prepared. Just a little bit. There is still so much work ahead. After this ramble you’ve just heard, you may kind of understand why "Lazy Pants." It’s a throwback to my younger lazy days, when life was carefree and all I had to do if I wanted was to get out of bed. Now, after working feverishly for the past 12 months, I truly understand what the meaning of hard work is all about. I have taken it upon myself to make you the world's most comfortable loungepant, a pant that will make you feel like you are sitting among the Greek gods in the clouds above that we all learnt about in school. Now don’t get what I said twisted. I work hard and I play hard but now I get to sit at home when the time is right and my body is aching from the hours of hard work I put into this and feel good. I even catch myself and my friends saying “I cant wait to get home and put on my Lazy Pants!” Until next time, please believe me when I say these pants are indeed one of those finer things in you can have in life ...

WHY SWEAT WHEN YOU CAN BE LAZY?

- Adam

[rebuslife-blog]

HOW TO MAKE IT ... IN CANADA!

REBUS' Julien Abesdris and Matt Feinstein spearheaded production of a highly tongue-in-cheek parody of the opening sequence for HBO's recently cancelled but beloved How To Make It In America. Commemorating our raucous promotional party at the New Era Flagship store on January 31st, more than a few people have had quite a laugh when viewing this.

We were all big fans of the show, but initially we would get very annoyed when every other person would say to us "ohhh, yeah, you guys are just like the guys in that show ... How to Make it."  In reality, many many of the day to day stresses, from sourcing, to production, to design, marketing, branding, accounting ... were very much glossed over on the show and didn't reflect what REBUS has had to go through and continues to endure.

But, it was TV after all, it was HBO, and its too bad that we won't get to see the adventures of Bryan Greenberg and Victor Rasuk again, because certainly us on the REBUS team were thoroughly entertained.

Enjoy our parody and consider it an homage to HTMIIA!

[rebuslife-blog]

REBUS LIFE: OOG - THE ONE AND ONLY GALLERY

We had the privilege of being invited to stop by one of the most unique retail spaces in the city today - and it is a beaut!

The concept of a pop-up shop is nothing new, but super-stylish proprietor and local entrepreneur Cais Mukhayesh has taken things a step further, recently launching a seductively exclusive fashion and art space that features pieces such as one-off (B)APE sweaters, KAIN tank tops, beautiful vintage eyewear from our friends at Aeroplane, and a litany of eclectic luxury and high-fashion design pieces that literally cannot be found anywhere else in the city.

The set-up features ridiculously high loft-style ceilings that allow sunlight to stream in unfettered, is flanked by a small art gallery at the top of the space, and a full DJ set up at the back of the showroom is a playground ready for any number of the hot musicians Cais invites every week to fill OOG with great music.  Tucked away at the corner of Harbord and Spadina, OOG has all the trappings to become one of the most hyped new retail spaces in the city. An incredible energy of collaboration and innovation fills the room as some of the best and brightest young fashion minds in the city drop by to pay their respects, check out product from other brands, and talk shop about collectively bringing Toronto further along the incredible path of fashion innovation that we are seeing right now.

OOG is so new and under-the-radar that they are still developing their web presence, though things will be developing very quickly as they draw more and more attention, according to Cais. "We are trying to bring a different vibe to the city, one that celebrates and showcases the amazing amount of fashion and design talent that is brewing right now, and encourages them to work together." 

REBUS will be working with the aptly-named OOG in the near future, and we couldn't be more excited. You can find them on Facebook, with Twitter to follow very shortly, says Cais. "Social marketing and new media is an important piece of this puzzle, because word of mouth in our young urban professional market is as good as gold."

OOG can be found in the same complex as Splendido Restaurant, at 88 Harbord Street. We will keep you up to date with more on this fascinating luxury fashion space, art gallery and permanent pop-up shop.

[rebuslife-blog]

REBUS X NEW ERA: POSTSCRIPT

So as far back as last September we teased that we were in talks with (read: shamelessly grovelling and begging) world famous hat company New Era Caps to make us a series of exclusive REBUS branded 5950 New Era Caps in commemoration of our debut collection The Nest.

Excessive?

Maybe.

But from day one we have had a go big or go home attitude imbued into our brand DNA, and this was no different. After a successful showing at PROJECT NYC last week, our team rushed back home to Toronto and had to switch into high gear to get ready for our branded event that we are having this coming Tuesday, January 31st, at the New Era Flagship Store in Toronto's Queen West neighbourhood. 

We are inviting our friends and family along with all of the top bloggers, press, tastemakers and influencers in the country for an evening of music, food, laughter and fashion where we will showcase the new 5950s (they are dangerously gorgeous!) as well as have those of you who have only seen or heard about us online come away with a solid offline perspective of our fledgling brand.

Oh, btw - we also managed to bring in one of the hottest DJs on the planet right now to spin a ridiculous 3 hour set while you're munching on delicious hor d'ouvres (would love to divulge the menu but it is just too mouth-wateringly special) and candy sushi ...

No big deal.

[rebuslife-blog]

CURIOUS GEORGE

How I had never known of George Lois is strange, considering I am the biggest fan of the process of brand building, product marketing, and advertisement, and I have come to now understand that the legendary trailblazing Greek ad exec is to be considered one of the most efficient branders of all time.

Tipped off to the genius of George Lois by a colleague who also professes to admire the true kung fu behind branding, it is the story of the daring advertisements he spun off for Tommy Hilfiger in 1985 that really gets me going.  Hilfiger was at the time far from the household name that it is now, but Lois loudly engineered a series of ad spots that hailed for designer Tommy Hilfiger to be considered one of a "top 4" of American fashion designers in history ... with none other than Perry Ellis, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren rounding out the other 3 spots!

The resulting swirl of whispers about Hilfiger from that campaign are credited by many as having finally vaunted him into the fashion spotlight.

Lois has developed quite a career for sensationalism and using the medium of advertisement as a deadly weapon in the name of social commentary. A truly amazing body of work are evident in his famed graphic direction and branding of covers for the long-time men's magazine Esquire through the 1960s.

Who is really shaking it up in advertising and branding these days? Who dares to dream? Who is asking the tough questions? 

Who is the George Lois of advertising right now?

- Moshe

[rebuslife-blog]

MODEL CITIZEN

"You can put a brand on the map in a single season with the right woman."

- Peter Lindberg

That "right woman" of the hour for REBUS appears to be emerging Toronto-born model Krista Madison, who we were lucky to shoot with this past December in Part 1 of our current 2012 "Spread Your Wings" brand campaign.

No, we didn't get the legendary Peter Lindberg to shoot her, but she was indeed shot by another sublimely talented local product, photographer Cory Vanderploeg.  With the line moving steadily into its inaugural season, Creative Director Adam Bledin was keenly aware that a distinctive fresh face would be key for the REBUS brand heading into a what we already know are tremendously competitive Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter 2012 seasons, and moved decisively to land a shoot with the ethereally beautiful Krista.

Asked to describe the feeling that Krista elicits in this latest shoot, Adam says "she's accessible!"

"She's that quintessential gorgeous girl next door that you would be damn proud to bring home to mom."

REBUS has been at PROJECT New York these past couple days and our setup is simple in that delicious sort of way. LAZY PANTS™ continues their torrid pace, with buyers and browsers alike highly enjoying the refreshingly urbane charm of the super-soft fleece lounge-pants.

Along with our forthcoming dissection of our time at PROJECT New York, we can then finally talk about yet another one of the questions now being asked by longtime fans and those newly discovering REBUS alike ...

"Lazy Pillows?"

[rebuslife-blog]

REBUS BEHIND THE SCENES: CALCULATOR RACES WITH OUR FRIENDS AT ASIL

Production was by no means ALL work and no play - Adam and Julien had some fun with our colleagues Hakan, Cemal and Hasan at ASIL more than a couple times this past summer in Istanbul playing a simple game that got really competitive ... really quickly.

The Turks held a distinct advantage in the first several rounds, but Team Rebus wore them down going into the final rounds. Could we possibly pull off the upset??

[rebuslife-blog]

THE INFAMOUS SUEDE BELT PATCH

It took us a while to get this right, but we wanted to make one that stood out and wasn't generic. We were very divided about what it should look like.  Comfort is a governing theme for our designs, however, and again it won out over perhaps even common sense! 

Feedback on the Rebus Suede Belt Patch has been meteoric so far. Many remark about how it feels great against their hands when they reach back to adjust their jeans, and suede does have a familiarity and pleasantness to the touch that is very endearing. We call attention to our Toronto design heritage on every patch with the Maple Leaf proudly emblazoned on the inside.

The rivets that are affixed to the top of the patch on the denim in the SS12 collection were included to give the jeans a "rough and rustic" feel, but admittedly are still a point of contention internally. Do they need to be there? Would you still love the belt without those brushed metal rivets, or is that part of the appeal?

This is your chance to weigh in and have a direct impact on design - rivets or NO rivets on the Rebus Premium Denim Suede Belt Patch for F/W 2012?