With the rising popularity of fast fashion, it can feel like a lost cause to pursue quality and innovation in design. But there are a handful of design teams keeping fashion ingenuity alive, including the talented sisters behind Rodarte. Los Angeles natives, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, are known for their ability to inspire and thrill shoppers, with only a beautiful dress at their disposal. Thanks to their talent and creativity, Rodarte designs are featured in museums around the world, including the Costume Institute at the Met and the National Museum for Women in the Arts. They even won one of the industry’s most sought after awards, the CFDA Award for Womenswear Designer(s) of the Year. But like most great art, Rodarte pieces aren’t always the most accessible — and the design duo sought out to change that.
As natives of California, a state known for its carefree, laidback culture, Kate and Laura Mulleavy felt a strong desire to design items that women can actually live in. They’ve dabbled in approachable fashion in the past, like their beloved ‘Radarte’ loungewear pieces and plus-size collaborative effort with Universal Standard. But it’s their latest venture into the accessible fashion sphere that is exciting fans of the brand.
Today, Rodarte announced a limited-edition capsule collection featuring the works of artist, Mari Eastman. The 5-piece collection showcases the artist’s cat series (cats!) on t-shirts and sweatshirts, emblazoned with the label ‘Radarte’. It will be sold exclusively at Fred Segal Sunset from tomorrow until August 14th. "We have always been fans of Mari and love her artwork," Kate and Laura told Refinery29. "We love her paintings of animals and really wanted to highlight them."
Of the four pieces, Laura calls out the yellow sweatshirt as her favorite, telling us that she’d pair it with her favorite high-waisted jeans from AGOLDE (also an LA-based brand). As for Kate, she plans to style the white tee with one of the collection’s sweatshirts tied around her neck.
To celebrate the launch, MADE, in partnership with Mastercard, will host an event like no other, featuring a Fred Segal Sunset pop-up in Los Angeles today. "It will be a fun 80s-themed party with Susanna Hoffs (of the Bangles) performing and roller skaters," the duo hinted. At the storefront, shoppers can experience the design process firsthand and take home a piece (or all four) from the capsule.
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Source: Refinery29 – Eliza Huber