Rodarte Sisters - Think Design Magazine Fashion Feature, May 2012

So how do two sisters new to fashion, having designed all of ten pieces in their parent’s home, at the kitchen table, get a meeting with Anna Wintour, the style making editor of Vogue and a cover of Women’s Wear? Sheer talent, luck or very good contacts?…We have no idea but it sure got their career started.

Since starting their label in 2005, they have drawn a lot of attention by creating collections that continued to defy the laws of cultural gravity, they have remained fresh and interesting. Natalie Portman an early fan and current friend of the sisters, feels that wearing their clothes is like wearing art.

Laura and Kate Mulleavy, aged 26 and 28 respectively, have had unfathomable success since appearing on the fashion scene in 2005 with their label Rodarte (their mother’s maiden name). Days before their debut in New York during the spring 2006 shows they landed the cover of Women’s Wear Daily, an event almost unheard of for new designers in the run-up to Fashion Week. But editors fell in love with the look-book the girls sent, lovingly crafted hand-made paper dolls in Rodarte’s collection of seven dresses and three coats.

Kate and Laura Mulleavy are young and ambitious sisters from central California, near Santa Cruz who attended UC Berkeley. One sister studied literature and the other art history and somehow their clothes seem to reflect this juxtaposition. When they returned home, no clue what to do with themselves, they spent a year reading art books and coming to terms with themselves. They are descended from an interesting mix of an artist mother of Mexican-Italian descent and a botanist father of Irish descent. Quite a flammable combination. The name Rodarte comes from their mother’s maiden name as a way of preserving it and preserved it is. Their parents started out as California hippies living in a cabin in the woods, with no heat or electricity. Living in the town of Aptos provided them with a window into the world of surfers, Punks, skateboarders, hippies and Hare Krishnas among many other native species of strange humanity, all in ample supply in their town and in nearby Santa Cruz.

From our neck of the woods in South East Asia, we look for references that are closer to home in things like fashion and artistic influences. The sisters have just come out with their Fall 2012 collection and it takes its main inspiration from the Australian outback.

Referring to the Fall 2012 Collection, Robin Givhan from the Daily Beast, reported, “Wool lace blouses with dolman sleeves topped slim matching skirts in shades of pea green and mauve. Urban shearing coats were worn with silk dresses printed with patterns inspired by aboriginal art. Slim cargo pants were matched with cropped fisherman’s sweaters that were thick and almost masculine in cut. Cocktail dresses were suspended from a jeweled strap. Evening gowns were constructed from tiers of ruffles and called to mind carved totem poles. Patterns referenced aboriginal art; hand prints were inspired by ancient cave paintings. And instead of putting models in daunting and fragile stilettos, the designers had them wear chunky shoes with heels that looked like cantilevered, mechanical sculptures, and boots that were embroidered with beads in the manner of an Indian medallion. The inspiration “came out of nowhere,” explained Laura Mulleavy in the crush of well-wishers after the show. “We’d done so much research and looked at photo books of different eras.” But they kept coming back to the idea of Australia, along with the Victorian era, which inspired the hairstyles and some of the simple and reserved silhouettes.” Her sister Kate added, “The show was based on the rugged outback.””

The Mulleavy sisters are still somehow considered to be and happy about being fashion’s outsider nerds. They both have an inner intensity but are also content not to be particularly noticeable. They have taken their education and knowledge of historical context into new arenas including painting, books, opera and film. It seemed to have started with the movie Black Swan where their designs brought a fresh aspect to the movie and their work was widely praised. Soon thereafter the MOCA museum picked up the costumes and created an exhibit for them, which also received rave reviews. Then they introduced their first book project titled Rodarte, Catherine Opie, Alec Soth. The book features Rodarte pieces and the subject matter that has inspired their work.
Now comes the really fun part,

To continue reading this article go to: http://www.thinkdesignmagazine.com/Fashion/rodartesisters