Congratulations to Kate and Laura from Rodarte, who were named “Womenswear Designers of the Year” last night at the CFDA gala. We first met the Mulleavys at their fashion show last spring and later profiled them in Issue 4 of Corduroy. In honor of their big win last night, here’s a snippet from their Corduroy feature:.

…The two extend a hand to greet the interviewer before splitting up. Laura excuses herself to tend to another group, while Kate stays behind to answer questions. When Laura re-emerges minutes later, Kate seamlessly makes her exit. It’s like a well-oiled machine that’s been through the motions a hundred times before. And perhaps, when you’re behind one of the world’s most successful and buzzed-about lines, you truly need to draw on something superhuman.

Raised in Northern California by an artist mother and botanist father, Kate and Laura never set out to work in fashion. Neither studied design in school, completing degrees in English and Art History at the University of California at Berkeley. But when the fashion bug bit, they knew they had to take a chance.

In 2005 they launched Rodarte, which carries their mother’s maiden name. The first collection consisted of ten garments and the start-up money came from the sisters themselves. Kate sold her beloved record collection, while Laura worked as a waitress on the side. Without formal design training, the two learned as they went along, experimenting with different techniques until they settled on a final aesthetic for the “Rodarte look.” “I think not having studied design actually gave us an advantage,” says Kate, “in a sense that we didn’t follow the ‘traditional’ steps and protocol of the designing process.”

The D.I.Y. approach worked. The Mulleavys immediately set themselves apart with avant-garde designs and clothes. Though they look light and effortless as they come down the runway, the inspiration behind them carries more of an edge. Ideas are drawn from unexpected sources, like fossils and skeletons and movies like Star Wars and Donnie Darko. A shoe collaboration with Nicholas Kirkwood was inspired by C-3PO, creating a towering wrapped heel that was at once beautiful and dangerous. “Here in the U.S., young designers have a tendency to be more commercial,” says Laura. “We’re trying not to follow trends or play it so safe.” She goes off on a rant about finding a specialized electrical store in L.A. to source vermillion wire for the shoe, as if to prove her point.

“We love how Karl Lagerfeld creates these other-worldly, beautiful clothes,” says Kate, “and we admire Vivienne Westwood for taking a lot of risk and breaking from societal norms. That’s what we want to do too.”

(Read the rest of the story and see more photos from our exclusive photoshoot with Rodarte by picking up Issue 4 of Corduroy HERE)

- Text by Kaily Hoang / Photo by Victoria Hely-Hutchinson