Rodarte () is an American brand of clothing and accessories founded and headquartered in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California,

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy. Rodarte has received a number of

fashion industry Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

awards since the line's inception in 2005. In addition to their main fashion line, the sisters have also collaborated with Gap and

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

on limited edition pieces.

History

2009 Rodarte dress, Fall-Winter collection 01

In 2002 after leaving college, the Mulleavy sisters returned home to

Aptos, California Aptos (Ohlone for "The People") is an unincorporated town in Santa Cruz County, California. The town is made up of several small villages, which together form Aptos: Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, Aptos Village, Cabrillo, Seacliff, Rio del Mar, and S ...

, where they spent the intervening years saving up

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

$16,500 in order to create a capsule collection, with Laura working as a waitress and Kate selling off a collection of rare records. The label ''Rodarte'' is the original Spanish pronunciation and spelling of their mother's maiden name, Rodart. After their initial collection of just ten pieces (which included seven dresses and two coats), the Mulleavys traveled to New York City and appeared on the cover of a February 2005 issue of ''

Women's Wear Daily ''Women's Wear Daily'' (also known as ''WWD'') is a fashion-industry trade journal often referred to as the "Bible of fashion".Horyn, Cathy"Breaking Fashion News With a Provocative Edge" ''The New York Times''. (August 20, 1999). It provides infor ...

''. This led to their meeting with ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' editor-in-chief

Anna Wintour Dame Anna Wintour (; born 3 November 1949) is a British journalist based in New York City who has served as editor-in-Chief of ''Vogue'' since 1988 and Global Chief Content Officer for Condé Nast since 2020; she is also the artistic directo ...

, who personally flew to Los Angeles to meet the sisters. The Mulleavy sisters garnered notoriety early on for their meticulous approach to clothing, with one chiffon dress from their 2006 collection taking over 150 hours to complete. In the spring of 2007, the label released a line of limited-edition exclusive shirts in collaboration with Gap. In December 2009, the label released another separate line of limited-edition pieces in collaboration with

Style and influences

They both credit their

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

upbringing as a major source of inspiration for their collections. The natural American landscape is of particular inspiration to the sisters. Rodarte's aesthetic influences have evolved since the label's establishment, with their evolution described in 2010 as "darker, their clothing riskier, more deconstructed, punk, and gothic. Each collection has been stranger than the last, influenced by

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

and

horror films Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoc ...

, and elements of S & M culture." In an article published by ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', the label was described as "the fashion equivalent of a

Basquiat Jean-Michel Basquiat (; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement. Basquiat first achieved fame as part of the graffiti duo SAMO, alongside Al ...

. People in the know really love it, but to everyone else it’s inscrutable or a little bit ugly."

Museums and exhibitions

Backstage at Fall 2008 Rodarte fashion show

Rodarte is in the permanent collections of the Costume Institute of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, the Fashion Institute of Technology Museum in New York, the

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...

, and the

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

. Rodarte was featured in the fall 2007 exhibit ''BLOGMODE'' at the

's Costume Institute, as well as several exhibits at The Museum at FIT including ''Luxury'' in spring 2007, ''Gothic: Dark Glamour'' in fall 2008, and ''American Beauty: Aesthetics & Innovation in Fashion'' in spring 2010. Arnhem Fashion Biennale featured Rodarte vignettes in July 2007, 2009 and 2011. In 2013, the Boston Museum of Fine Art featured their Blue and White Embroidered Spring 2011 Dress and Printed shoes. For the 2013 Punk: Chaos to Couture

Costume Institute show, 4 looks of Rodarte's Spring 2009 and Fall 2008 Collections were on display. In 2008, Rodarte was featured in ''

Artforum ''Artforum'' is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. The magazine is distinguished from other magazines by its unique 10½ x 10½ inch square format, with each cover often devoted to the work of an artist. Notabl ...

'', making the Mulleavy sisters the first fashion designers to be featured in the magazine since

Issey Miyake was a Japanese fashion designer. He was known for his technology-driven clothing designs, exhibitions and fragrances, such as '' L'eau d'Issey'', which became his best-known product. Life and career Miyake was born on 22 April 1938 in Hirosh ...

in 1982. In February 2010, Rodarte had their first solo-exhibition, at the

Cooper-Hewitt Museum Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum housed within the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New York City, along the Upper East Side's Museum Mile. It is one of 19 museums that fall under the wing of the Smithsonian Inst ...

(the design branch of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

). In May 2011, Rodarte contributed artworks to the

s ''Cell Phone Stories'' project. Their contribution included sketches based on artworks held in the LACMA's permanent collection. In February 2011, the

Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) is a contemporary art museum with two locations in greater Los Angeles, California. The main branch is located on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, near the Walt Disney Concert Hall. MOCA's o ...

opened ''Rodarte: States of Matter'', the first West Coast museum exhibition of the Rodarte's fashion and costume designs from Fall 2008, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, and pieces from the film ''Black Swan''. In 2011, the

(LACMA) acquired the Rodarte Spring 2012 couture collection. LACMA displayed the renaissance-inspired clothing in their Italian renaissance gallery, alongside Italian renaissance artworks, in the exhibition ''Rodarte: Fra Angelico Collection'' from December 2011 to February 2012.

Accolades

Kate and Laura Mulleavy were one of the 50 recipients to win the 2009 United States Artists Fellowship. Rodarte was Cooper Hewitt's

National Design Awards The American National Design Awards, founded in 2000, are funded and awarded by Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum housed within the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New ...

Fashion Design Finalist in 2009 and winner in 2010. Rodarte is the first fashion house to be awarded the National Art Award from

Americans for the Arts Americans for the Arts is a nonprofit organization whose primary focus is advancing the arts in the United States. With offices in Washington, D.C., and New York City, with more than 50 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to rep ...

in 2010. The award is a custom

Jeff Koons Jeffrey Lynn Koons (; born January 21, 1955) is an American artist recognized for his work dealing with popular culture and his sculptures depicting everyday objects, including balloon animals produced in stainless steel with mirror- finish su ...

gold bunny sculpture. Rodarte is awarded the Star Honoree Award from

Fashion Group International The Fashion Group International (FGI) is a global, non-profit, professional organization founded in 1930 in New York City to benefit the fashion industry. FGI currently has over 5000 members in the fashion industry including apparel, accessories, b ...

in 2011. Rodarte was named one of

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...

’s 50 Designers Shaping The Future in October 2012. In May 2014, Rodarte's short film directed by Todd Cole is awarded the People's Choice

Webby Award The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories include ...

for Branded Scripted Entertainment. *2014 Webby Award People's Choice- Branded Scripted Entertainment- Won *2011 Fashion Group International's Star Honoree Award- Won *2010 National Art Award from Americans for the Arts- Won *2010 Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards- Won *2009 United States Artists Fellowships Recipient *2009 CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year - Won *2008 CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear - Won *2008 Stella Swiss Textiles Award - Won *2006 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award - Won

References

External links