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Rodarte

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Label Overview

Sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy came from Pasadena, California, to New York in the spring of 2005 with nothing more than a few dresses and coats stuffed in their suitcase. A week after arriving, they had shown their collection, tagged Rodarte after their mother's maiden name, to almost every major fashion editor and upscale retail buyer. What got them through the door? Tenacity and talent. The Mulleavys labor over every detail of their meticulous, romantic dresses. They pile on soft flutters of pinked chiffon and intricate hand-stitching as well as other old-world techniques that call to mind couture. Still a relatively new label, Rodarte has scored the Mulleavys the 2008 CFDA Swarovski Emerging Womenswear Designer award, the 2008 Swiss Textiles Award, and quite an industry following, including Old Guard lions like Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Louboutin.

Status
Critics' Favorite, Up-and-Coming
Clients
Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley, Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Obama, Chloë Sevigny
Other Product Lines
Handbags, Shoes
Collaborations
Gap Design Editions CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund white shirt collection. (2007), Target GO International (2009)
Owned By
Kate and Laura Mulleavy
Address
409 W. Olympic Blvd., Ste. 710
Los Angeles, California 90015
213-221-4018
Where To Buy
Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Jeffrey New York, Opening Ceremony, Kirna Zabête
Related Websites

  • The Collection

    Designed By
    Kate Mulleavy, Fall 2005 - Present
    Laura Mulleavy, Fall 2005 - Present
    Shows In
    New York
    Collection Types
    RTW
    Similar Clientele
    Nina Ricci, Marchesa
    Styles & Tags
    American, Critics' Favorite, Eccentric/Whimsical, Especially Detailed, Feminine

Designers

What's Been Said

  • “At Rodarte, stiffer fabrics in brocades and metallics are invested with movement and swing, and the house's favored organzas and chiffons are painstakingly worked to emphasize their fluttering ethereality. A Rodarte gown, therefore, is not only beautiful in the long view of the red carpet but also in circumstances of greater intimacy. The seduction of their craft is in the lightness of their touch.”
    —The Metropolitan Museum of Art Blog Mode: Addressing Fashion
A picture of Rodarte Kate Mulleavy and Laura Mulleavy
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