Red Monkey

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  Men Red Monkey Jackets & Coats

Martin Ksohoh – designer and founder of Red Monkey.

If you are a denim lover with a passion for Asian productions then RMC by Martin Koshoh (formerly known as Red Monkey Jeans) will definitely satisfy your complex tastes. That’s because Red Monkey Company is an eclectic yet coherent blend of Japanese and Chinese culture, orchestrated seamlessly by its founder and designer Martin Ksohoh aka Martin Lee Yat Ming. If this onslaught of names has confused you, it be a relief to find that at the core of them all is a highly-appreciated premium jeans label founded in 2002 in Hong Kong. Its success is based on the concept of superb embroidery stitching technique on denim apparel.

Martin Ksohoh founded Red Monkey Company after accumulating vast experience in the denim industry. In an interview for South China Morning Post, Martin speaks about his experience prior to the launch of the brand: “I worked as a retailer, wholesaler and merchandiser for a variety of brands and gained valuable experience on how to manage brands, supervise production and control quality. In Hong Kong, I introduced brands such as Evisu, John Bull and Forever Young at Heart to local market, so I felt confident when it came to launching my own brand – it just felt like the right time to roll.”

At the start of the brand, Martin produced pieces in a very limited amount and had to face various challenges related to the production process. He was and is very demanding on the quality of Red Monkey garments, which is why only a few factories were willing to accept his order at a high production costs. But after the initial hardship, the denim label literally took off and in 2005, due to its immense popularity, was being heavily counterfeited all over the world. Martin had to take serious measures in order to fight Red Monkey counterfeits that were being sold even in reputable stores. So, the brand changed names to RMC Martin Ksohoh to differentiate itself from the fake merchandise. RMC stands for Red Monkey Company and carries some interesting meanings. “Red” symbolizes the searing red sun as well as the Orient. Whereas, “Monkey” signifies evolution, because apes have evolved into human beings. “Company” is viewed as the workshop which consists of creative persons, ideas and projects.

Two football stars – Darren Bent and DJ Campbell – wearing Red Monkey jeans.

Martin Ksohoh has created a unique style for RMC. Jeans labeled RMC by Martin Ksohoh are famous for their graphic embroidery, that are usually featured in the jeans’ back pockets. The designs are a mix of traditional Japanese and Chinese culture with contemporary and modern art. To give just one example, an illustration of the Japanese fortune cat is depicted using Andy Warhol’s pop-art color scheme. In addition to the innovative design, RMC Jeans is putting forward an environmentally friendly product by using in the manufacturing process only Natural Color Cotton. “There is nothing revolutionary about Natural Color Cotton. It has been around for millennia so it’s actually the case of yesterdays clothing today. This is the way nature intended, but we all lost sight of that. Now it’s time to start remembering,” Martin Ksohoh declared.

RMC by Martin Ksohoh is very popular among many hip-hop stars, including Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake. And with the launch of a new premium line, Yoropiko, and plans for launching a leatherwear collection together with women’s and children’s collections show just how much this young brand has grown in the last few years.