He may not have become the last winner of the LVHM PRIZE, but we are sure that Raúl López, founder and creative director of LUAR, will go far and continue to give much to talk about, as has happened recently with his show at New York Fashion Week, because when it seemed that we had seen it all and that nothing else could surprise us, he appeared with his Spring/Summer 2024 proposal and made the industry stop and analyze in detail his work, presented at 53 Scott Street, in Brooklyn, but born some time ago in a region of the Dominican Republic known as El Hoyo.
Right there, many miles from New York, while the designer was driving a Volvo truck and stopped in front of his best friend’s house, he realized once again how curious life can be, because if he looked to the left he found a haven of peace where religion reigned, and if he turned to the right he saw the opposite, people drinking, doing drugs, and sensually swaying to the rhythm of the music in racy outfits made to provoke and tempt. After assimilating the two faces that existence offers you, in the purest angel or demon style, the question of the salvation that we all seek, the why of it, and from whom, was raised. From that moment on, the creative mind of the genius surnamed López began to create as if there was no tomorrow, imagining, while the song “Socorro” played, what each of the two sides would think of being on the opposite side, and at the same time redefining redemption in terms of daily choices.
That tomorrow came, and when the traffic light turned green, the 50 perfectly tailored looks began to appear, 23 men’s looks to be exact, and the neutral color palette chosen flooded the space chosen for the show with elegance. Here, the boundaries between masculine and feminine were blurred. The LUAR men of 2024 will be wearing polo-style dresses with slits to provoke them as they please, as well as xs trousers and ruffled skirts that move as they walk and leave little to the imagination. But don’t worry if you still don’t dare to wear them, because Raul has clothes for everyone. Do you want tailoring? He has it, but reimagined and not stale. See for example look number 2 or 9, where the sleeves of the jacket are full of buttons, or the dozens of shirts (with shoulder pads and robust collars that insinuate being chained to something) that are combined with jeans or sports trousers, among others.
As you can see, LUAR offers a complete wardrobe in which no detail is overlooked, and yes, by this we mean that the same care that the Dominican-American has used in the design of the garments has also been used in the design of the accessories. We are not saying anything that is not true, and if not look at the sunglasses that became tops, or the already iconic “Ana” bags, in a multitude of sizes, colors, and materials, all a sales success; success that despite being savoring does not make him forget his roots. A question of balance, they say…
Check out LUAR’s spring/summer 2024 collection below:
