2/20/2012

Monday's Muses


Laura and Kate Mulleavy are the faces behind Rodarte, a design house which produces couture-like pieces, a rarity among the American design scene. While they may favour to wear more casual attire themselves, the garments they design are nothing short of extraordinary. Kirsten Dunst [when asked about the Mulleavy sisters] stated that she "Love(s) people who have a childlike excitement for the thing that they do, and they're constantly inspired" and because of the girl's background they always have reference points for their collections and individual pieces.

Laura and Kate both knew they wanted to pursue careers in Fashion Design but opted to study first, with Kate majoring in Art History and Laura in English Literature. These degrees both gave them a foundation for their design work and accessibility to references such as Van Gogh's Starry Night painting which contributed to their Spring 2012 Ready to Wear range.



Their career has taken off incredibly quickly which can be attributed, in part at least, to their unconventional way of approaching fashion. They produce pieces reflective of the couture that Paris ateliers present to the world, but by doing things like burning, tearing and delicately piecing together garments they ensure their work remains unique and unexpected. After landing the cover of Women's Wear Daily shortly after bringing their debut collection to New York they were nominated for the Vogue/CFDA womenswear award which they then won three years later. Since then they've collaborated with Gap, Target and Opening Ceremony, co-produced an issue of Lula Magazine and designed Natalie Portman's costumes in Black Swan just to name a few and they show no signs of slowing down any time soon. 

Laura and Kate hope that they'll be able to look back and say "we did things a little differently" which they certainly have. Each collection they present is original and fresh, and their shows are often a highlight of NYFW as fashionistas wait to see what they'll do next! If you're interested in seeing more of Rodarte's work, their official Facebook page is worth a look as well as the Runway Photos/Detail Shots of their designs in Style.com's Designer Directory.

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