Following in the footsteps of designers like Tom Ford and Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy, fashion house Rodarte has been named designer of the year at the InStyle Awards.
Perhaps the award should be changed to ‘designers of the year’ though, as Rodarte is the work of two sisters: Kate and Laura Mulleavy.
They’ve slowly but surely built a cult celebrity following over the years, but Laura, 39 and Kate, 40, still manage to fly under the radar. So how did Rodarte become such a favourite among Hollywood’s elite?
Their background…
Born and raised in California, the sisters started designing clothes together in the early Noughties, creating capsule collections and coming up with the name Rodarte – their mother’s maiden name, with the addition of an ‘e’ on the end.
It was 2005 when their careers really took off, with the sisters appearing on the front of Women’s Wear Daily and coming to the attention of some big fashion players.
Since then, their designs have become a regular sight on the red carpet, and their fashion shows are highly anticipated. Unlike other fashion houses, who have catwalk shows at least twice a year at one of the big four (London, Paris, Milan or New York), Rodarte keeps us guessing – sometimes they don’t bother to show at all and release a star-studded lookbook, and other times, show in California instead. The sisters are entirely self-taught and are known for spending a vast number of hours on one garment.
The InStyle award is yet another to add to their collection – most impressively, Rodarte won the CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year Award, 2009.
Their style…
The Mulleavy sisters’ inspirations are varied, although they always show a hint of their sunny Californian roots. They’ve become known for subversive and surprising collections, constantly challenging our expectations of what the Rodarte woman is like.
On the face of it, the Rodarte aesthetic is hyper-feminine, with lots of floral patterns, lace detailing and pearl accents, but there’s also darkness beneath and all-leather ensembles sit easily next to the pastel colours.
In fact, the sisters worked on some of the costumes for the movie Black Swan, and there are definite gothic elements to their work – as well as layers upon layers of pale pink tulle.
Their fans…
Rodarte has a loyal fanbase among major celebrities, many of whom have become friends and muses of the brand.
Kirsten Dunst presented the Mulleavy sisters with the designer of the year award, wearing a pastel tiered Rodarte gown. The outfit was classic Rodarte: Lace, ruffles, sparkles and bows – but was still incredibly polished and put-together.
Dunst also starred in 2017’s Woodshock, the Mulleavy sisters’ first film. The following year, she announced her pregnancy to the world by starring in a Rodarte campaign with a visible bump.
Dunst is just one of the famous faces committed to the brand. Bonafide filmstars including Natalie Portman and Gabrielle Union love to wear Rodarte, as well as a new generation of actors, including Elle Fanning, Lili Reinhart and Zendaya.
Just take the portrait series Rodarte released for its recent SS20 collection, which featured Dunst, Union, Reinhart, Kiernan Shipka, Gia Coppola, January Jones and Yalitza Aparicio – to name just a few of the famous models.
