RN117: a new brand of children outwear launch in Russia

RN117, a new brand of French-Russian outdoor clothes for children aged 4 to 14 made its debut at the CJF – Child and Junior Fashion exhibition. The abbreviation RN117 means “Russian North, 117 metres above sea level”.

The brand was created by the Sarapul garment factory together with designer Marina Sheifel. Over 20 years Marina has been cooperating with European brands such as Jack Wolfskin, Browning, Umbro. She has designed a wide spectrum of clothes for them mostly for outdoor wear.

The factory employs around 200 workers. RN117 sticks to the technologies applied by German companies where Marina Sheifel used to work. The coats have quality finishing both inside and outside.

The brand is operating within the middle class and upper-middle class customer segments. The retail price of the most expensive coat is about 6,000 rubles: the coat is fully functional and has a lot of pockets. The price of the lowest budget model is 2,500 rubles. To keep affordable prices, the company purchases quality Asian fabrics which Marina Sheifel chooses at European trade shows.

“The main accent is made on the interesting materials which have game elements or functionality for children,” Marina Sheifel says. “For example, a fully reflective fabric, which is entirely illuminated under the headlights of the cars providing safety of children; or the material on which a pattern appears if the fabric gets wet, while the membrane does not let the moisture inside. We make T-shirts with photochromic prints which become colored under bright light outdoors.”