Since the launch of their label Rodarte in 2005, sibling design team Kate and Laura Mulleavy have pursued a singular, intensely personal vision, becoming two of the most original designers working today. The Californian duo have already garnered nominations for the CFDA Vogue Fund and the Swarowski Womenswear prize, as well as enthusiastic support from fans like Dita Von Teese and Kim Gordon.
Their creations beautifully tread the line between art and fashion, distinguished by meticulous detail and exquisite craftsmanship. Fittingly, the designers were asked to display their one-of-a-kind dresses in the windows of Colette during the recent Paris Couture week.“Eerie and bewitching” was how Bat For Lashes’ Natasha Khan described their darkly romantic A/W 08 collection. Inspired by Japanese horror films, the airy dreaminess that is the Rodarte signature took on a nightmarish quality, as models stalked the runway “like technicolour zombie ballerinas” in slashes of blood red fabric, cobweb lace tights and spiked heels. In perfectly capturing the gothic mood of the season, Rodarte have made the leap from cult designers to shining stars of the fashion scene.
In an exclusive feature for Dazed Digital, Kate and Laura have handpicked some of their favourite pieces from their archive, illustrated by these previously unpublished photos featuring the model Irina Lazareanu.
“These images seemed exciting and special to us because we realized that Irina has been in every single one of our runway shows. On top of that, when we were going through our best friend Autumn de Wilde’s photographs, we realized that Irina has worn many of our favourite looks.”
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'rise like lions after slumber. in invanquishable number-shake your chains to earth like dew which in sleep had fallen on you-ye are many-they are few'
percy bysshe shelley,the last verse of:
the mask of anarchy
It was an even more beautiful display in person! I actually tried on one of the dresses at Colette during Couture Week... although it was a webby knit one.
I later tried the same dress again at Jeffrey in NYC too. Although Colette had a much more alluring and moving spectacle of an arrangement. Sarah simply is the best curatorial eye in the industry!
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ali mic | arlenis | camille m.l. | charlotte d.c. | ernesta pet | hanne-gaby | heloise | hyoni | kate somers | iek the cat | imogen m.c. | kinga raj | laragh mc | morwenna | myf shep | simona mc