It's a wonder how Kate and Laura Mulleavy have made such an impact in the fashion industry in five short years. Haling from Pasadena, California, the two sisters had no official fashion training when they decided to start their own fashion label, using their drive and love of fashion as a sole basis. The built a strong relationship with fashion through film and music and were exposed to it through their mother as an artist and their grandmother as an opera singer.
The hightailed it to New York with ten pieces stuffed into a box and were lucky enough to get a few appointments with some fashion buyers. Women's Wear Daily became interested in their designs and somehow one of their pieces made it onto the front cover of the prestigous magazine. They then won runner up in the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2006 and collaborated with GAP; this propelled them into the limelight. They've gathered a celebrity fanbase with actors such as Natalie Portman (a close friend), Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton and Chloe Sevigny all keen admirers of the label.
Their innovative take on mixing fabrics, such as mohair and Swarovski crystals for their A/W 08 collection set them apart from the rest. Their new collection has lept up their high standards and is set to produce some trends od their own as they have insisted before that they tend to steer clear of trend forcasting.
The Mulleavy sisters built their A/W 10 collection on the idea of sleepwalking which carried a dream like quality around the room. They said that their collection had been influenced by a recent drive through Mexico and the boarder town of Ciudad Juárez disturbed them.
"The Mexican maquilladora workers, walking to the Juarez factories in the middle of the night in a sort of sleep state, had a profound impact on us."
The models walked in a haze floating down the catwalk in crisp whites and creams mixed with colourful print work.
"The idea of a dream state guided the development of the collection in that we imagined a half-sleeping girl, dressing herself in the dark of night and focused on building garments that are neither long or short, made of varying layers. The collection interlaces florals, plaids, embroidery, and prints. We played with transparency and opaqueness in this collection, using a palette with Mexican-American references but without the usual tropes."
Their take on the wool jumper added a fresh feel to the worn out designs that have come before them- wrapping the fabric from around the neck to under the arm. The Mexican ethnicity was visible in tasselled skirts and patchwork, and their lace leggings are sure to reverberate in collections to come. Nicholas Kirkwood’s heels set off the collection perfectly and the dark washed hair of the models slicked back added the Rodarte edge to a more feminine collection. The show ended with a white lace gown, resembling a distressed wedding dress- A perfect day for a Rodarte wedding.
I couldn't get anough of their latest collection. Even if I could get my hands on a pair of those gloves for next Autumn I'll be happy.
PS: These hair clips would go excellently with the gloves.
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