Rave Review Is Diversifying The Metaverse With Upcycled Digital Cryptopanties

In 2017, Beckmans College of Design graduates Josephine Bergqvist and Livia Schück realized that they shared the same interest in sustainable fashion and thus was born their Stockholm-based label, Rave Review. After qualifying as a semifinalist for the LVMH Prize at Paris Fashion Week, receiving the Rising Star Prize by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Stockholm Prize by Nöjesguiden, the Bernadotte Art Award, and participating in the Gucci Film Festival, the label has established itself as a tour de force among a new crop of designers perfecting the art of transforming home textiles into desirable garments. Autre spoke with the vanguard design duo about their innovative design process, the role of digital fashion, and promoting sustainability on the blockchain.

AUTRE: What’s your personal favorite type of underwear?

LIVIA: I’ve been wearing tangs since I was thirteen years old. That’s what’s comfortable for me.

JOSEPHINE: Tangs and pushup bras were the thing until I was around seventeen, then all of my friends and I changed to soft bras and hipster panties. I’m not sure why it happened. Nowadays I wear all types.

AUTRE: How can brands and customers benefit from the digital fashion movement and how can digital fashion liberate itself from anthropomorphism?

RAVE REVIEW: We believe fashion is about more than just physical garments worn by humans. It’s not limited to just clothes. It’s about creating worlds where people want to belong. We live in an age when the digital and physical worlds are merged. We see so many possibilities with combining tech and fashion that goes well beyond creating NTFs. There’s many digital layers to fashion.

Livia Schück (left), Josephine Bergqvist (right). Photograph courtesy of Rave Review.

AUTRE: Why do you use CGIs as NFTs instead of trading physical garments as NFTs via ETH(etherium)?

RAVE REVIEW: We liked the concept of creating CGIs from something physical. The panties were first made in our studio from upcycled materials. From there, the materials were scanned and the whole panty generated. One of the ideas with the NFT drop is for us to enter the digital space, and hopefully in the future we can use the panties for something else, on avatars, in games, or whatever this bespoke “metaverse” will bring. We would never consider releasing anything on ETH for environmental reasons.

AUTRE: Since cryptocurrency is responsible for huge amounts of emissions, what alternatives are you approaching to offset the carbon footprint?

RAVE REVIEW: We have been curious about creating NFTs for a while, but have been waiting for a more sustainable and resource-efficient way of doing it. Our NFT is on the Solana blockchain. A Solana transaction takes the same amount of energy as two Google searches. The main reason for us to enter the digital world is the possibility of making even more sustainable fashion — to combine working with vintage/deadstock fabrics and digital garments. Producing digital garments requires less dead energy and transportation than physical garments. A lot of people these days are only dressing up for Instagram. Why not use a digital garment, then?

AUTRE: What are you most excited about life right now?

RAVE REVIEW: This NFT project, of course! No, that’s just one of many very exciting things happening. Josephine will get married this summer. We will very soon release a new collection and website that we’re very proud of.

AUTRE: Three key words about your upcoming collection?

RAVE REVIEW: Rave, punk, fun.

The Beauty In What Already Is: An Interview Of LML's Eponymous Designer Lucas Meyer-Leclère

interview by Hakan Solak

Behind every garment we wear is a story that imbues our attitude with its unique history. These stories become increasingly rich and complex when you combine and re-tailor vintage pieces from a pastiche of legacy fashion houses. Such is the case with Lucas Meyer-Leclère’s new collection for LML Studio, presented at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin at Kraftwerk Mitte on September 7. A master of print design, hand painting techniques, and an overall maestro of the immersive sartorial experience, Leclère enlists a coterie of friends and contemporaries to walk the runway, personalize the garments, lend vocals, and to re-mix his chosen score. He sees himself as a stable boy in the fashion world, which isn’t so much a complaint as it is an omission of the potential for kink therein. Following the runway presentation for his most recent collection, we sat down with the emerging designer to discuss material, sustainability, our favorite Berlin-based style archetypes, and the importance of taking your time.

HAKAN SOLAK: What is the role of sustainability in the current fashion industry?

LUCAS MEYER-LECLERE: Sustainability is the only way we can create today without destroying the planet. We can already see the terrible damages of global warming and the lives that have been taken all over the world, even recently in Germany with the flooding. As for a creative response, I’ll give you an example. The advent of photography meant that fewer and fewer pigments were available for paint because investments were made in this new medium. Now that we all have smartphones, photographs are almost never printed, which means that printing and developing them has become increasingly more expensive. It is the same on a more tragic level with fashion and its labyrinthine system of global subcontracting and assembly. The problem is not fashion, the problem is the thirst for money and world domination. We know that if under the gold of your palace is the blood of the people, they are bound to fail one day or another. Because when you stop serving the people and you expose them to death by labor, you expose yourself to wrath.

SOLAK: How would you ideally like your brand to influence the fashion industry?

MEYER-LECLERE: I am not here to chop heads and start a revolution. A call for blood will never encourage love and respect. I am here to cut clothes that exist already and to show the harmony in diversity. The beauty in what already is. This is why I use clothes from Dior, Chanel, Berluti, etc. In the same way that some sculptors choose to work with marble [as opposed to other types of stone], high-quality fabrics often come with better cuts and craftsmanship—and I like excellence. When Karl Lagerfeld hired me to assist the person in charge of creating fabrics, I would paint tweeds on my little desk and make samples in the atelier of Cecile, the best chef d’atelier of the haute couture team. We didn’t create in a palace; it was small, in the attic, full of light with a view on the Colonne Vendôme. It’s the same space where Mademoiselle Chanel had her atelier. It starts there with the architecture, because a beautiful stone building is meant to last. We made it new and high-tech, and yet it’s also still the same. And that’s what I do: I take clothes whose structures are made to last and I make them to the taste of the moment.

I used Hermès bags and wallets for accessories because they are the only bags in the world that are not only beautiful and well-conceived, but they are made with a firm intention to last beyond their first owner. That’s why there are only painted labels in my clothes, or fingerprints, just like when Jeanne Lanvin first sold to the US. She would mark the labels with her fingerprint, so no one would be tempted to copy it. Although, I’m happy to be copied, and I like to fantasize that the clothes you saw on the catwalk could one day be in the hands of someone who will decide to paint them or cut them again, or make a towel out of them and give them a new life. It is a quilting. It is what one finds everywhere in the world, in all different shapes.

SOLAK: What were some of the key ideas behind this collection?

MEYER-LECLERE: The key idea in this collection was to take the time to enjoy. It took me three years to make. I made most things myself and got help along the way by wonderful people who generously gave their time to the whole process. Without all of this LML family, and the support of the Evangelical Church of Berlin who welcomed an atelier on the first floor of Parochialkirche, the Fashion Council, La Biosthétique and Mercedes, none of this would have seen the light of day. It was also to create without one firm concept in mind, but rather, react to each piece individually. I was also inspired by the models—most of which are my friends—who all have a strong fashion sense, or a sense of what they want; what fits them. It was important for me to ask them what they liked. I don’t see the point in putting something on someone just because it is my will. It would feel like a punishment; the opposite of what I want to do. I want to be the Frederick Der Grosse of fashion. Its king and its first servant, but I have a long way to go. I’m a stable boy at the moment, which is great because I love horses. You know, the hay, the dung, the leather, the whips ... there’s quite a bit of Berghain to it, and a lot of Queen Kelly by Eric Von Stroheim, who always inspired me. When I had to give show notes to the production team, I said the collection was a bit “Stroheim and David Bowie have gender fluid kids playing in Jackson Pollock’s atelier.”

SOLAK: Can you tell us about your casting and the role that it plays on your brand identity?

MEYER-LECLERE: The casting happened organically. I asked James to sing “Berliner Luft,” which I ended up recording myself on the “Concerto Grosso in D minor No. 5” by Scarlatti with Dauwd—who did all the transitions and mixing of the songs I selected for the show. I met Jeanette when I was seventeen and he was the darling of London’s fashion and party scene. He was the face of Boombox where I danced every weekend, drinking water with sugar (never alcohol). He made a perfect new Marlene; a Marlene Mapplethorpe. All the others are friends, or friends of friends. 

My clothes don’t have sizes. I like that people have to try things on. We all know ready-to-wear is an aberration. I had my first leather jacket made when I was fifteen and the emotion of fitting my arms in a sleeve made just for me still vibrates with me today. That’s why Maja wore a jacket made for me by Huntsman, the best tailor of Savile Row, whose horsehair I took, and then I washed the Dormeuil wool. You can now wear it both ways and it has a flow aspect to it. The cut is so excellent that it kept its shape and the precise connection in the stripes. I also used a collar I had made at Budd’s as well as a shirt worn by Christian Stemmler who came to borrow the beautiful black leather jacket that I frayed from Berluti and ended up walking the show. My photographer friend, Mariam Medvedeva had just flown from Moscow and wore the dress I made for her. It was from a Margiela dress that I painted and cut out. We added her last minute. Jack, I met when he was sixteen. They were the actors of the show. They WERE the show. They reflected my taste for life, for people who love and respect freedom, for people who are independent. 

There is this great meditation app by Sam Harris that you can get for free if you can’t afford it by sending an email. In today’s short meditation he said, “Remember that there’s no dress rehearsal for some future time. This is the live show,” and of all the live shows, Berlin’s is my favorite. This city has welcomed me and so many friends from all over the world. All us immigrants can be thankful for the German people of Berlin, and the ones who still fight for tolerance and respect, so we can breathe free singing “Berliner Luft.” Prost! [laughs]

SOLAK: What are your favorite Berlin archetypes of style? Is it like the raver, the Kudamm brand-bitch, the Marzahn Kommune garden girl?

MEYER-LECLERE: My favorite archetype of Berlin style is definitely the leather scene. To see gentlemen of all ages and sizes dedicating themselves with such refinement and sophistication to a fetish is fascinating. Karl Lagerfeld gave me a book that is still in my mind called Dressed to Rule by Philip Mansfeld. I came out of the show in a yellow coat I made for my final collection at Saint Martins where I used the reverse of a filcoupé jacquard that I had painted with oil paint, then ripped off. Underneath was the Soccer Jersey of England that I painted too. England brought me so much and I hope I live to see the day when it will be part of Europe again. Underneath was a lace top made of two laces I got from Sophie Hallette painted in lavender with metallic foil appliqué and fastened by hand-woven cotton braids. That was on top of the fabric given to me by Budd’s, the most exquisite shirtmaker on Piccadilly who has everything produced in England. The shorts were German workers’ shorts found at Halleluja Berlin. I had two pairs of socks by Falke. One pair underneath a fil d’Écosse in Burgundy. One purple pair on top in cotton, the color of the Protestant church where I was baptised on November 17, 2017 wearing these kinky boots that I found at Halleluja. I wore the perfume Duke of Burgundy, created by Max Buxton Moss for Rabbit Perfumers because I am from Dijon in Burgundy. Don’t say like the mustard. I’d rather be associated with Kir Royals and champagne—even if I don’t drink. It’s more festive. And that’s my archetype: Festival Berliners of any kind!

Space Talk: An Interview Of Retrofuturist Designer Candice Molayem

sculpture:
Kelly Lamb
Moon, Star, Sun, You, 2015
corten steel, stainless steel, marble
74 x 34 in.

text by Bree Castillo
photographs by Dana Boulos

A serendipitous trip through Europe was the inevitable catalyst for Candice Molayem to begin her ascent into design with her evergreen clothing line, Animal Crackers. Since its conception in July of 2020 with the intention of inspiring empowerment for her audience through wearable art, Molayem has been creating her circum-vitae of ethically-crafted garments full of futurist visions that harken eras past, sharp tailoring, and avant-garde silhouettes. Molayem transcends the norms of the traditional fashion calendar and the constant urge for the new, emphasizing on season-less collections that are made to endure and be worn year-round.

With her informal education as a seasoned, vintage designer, tattoo artist, painter, and stylist, Animal Crackers is a synthesis of all her past selves. Each collection uncovers different facets and layers to Molayem’s identity, each as true and as beautiful as the next. Her latest and sophomore capsule collection, Space Talk is inspired by her inherent need to escape reality even if just for a moment. Sewn into every piece is a breath of retrofuturism, giving life to shape, color, and full dimensionality. On May 20th-23rd, Animal Crackers will be showcasing their latest designs in their long-anticipated pop-up in West Hollywood. 

CASTILLO: How did you first discover your affinity for fashion and design? 

MOLAYEM: How did I find it? It was something I always had. My mother always tells me that. As far as I can remember I have loved clothes, fashion, and color. It is something I have always been obsessed with. Creating has always come naturally to me. My mom is an artist. Growing up, she worked from the guest house. I grew up around it. Anything creative was really encouraged, and it came naturally to me. I have never done any school or classes. I explored so many mediums. Right now we are doing a pop-up and I'm styling wigs and sculpting. I have never done that before, but I am figuring it out. 

CASTILLO: How did Animal Crackers come to be? 

MOLAYEM: I'm a huge fan of Pierre Cardin and was absolutely mesmerized by his boutique in Paris during a trip there in 2019. His muse and director of haute couture, Maryse Gaspard, happened to be in the store at the time, and she was easily the most fabulous woman I've met in my life. We ended up chatting and she assumed I was a designer. When I mentioned I wasn't, she insisted I become one. Although I had heard it from friends and family countless times over the years, it felt different coming from her. It was the nudge from the universe I needed, and Animal Crackers was born.

CASTILLO: I am curious to know what your creative process is like? 

MOLAYEM: It is changing because now I am working on my third collection. So, now I have a collection to build off of and to expand. When I start designing, I am trying to create who I want to be next. How do I want to feel when I wear this? What is the energy of this next collection? All along I am collecting references and vintage, and it just all comes together in that way. Who do I want to be when I put this shirt on? 

CASTILLO: What can you tell me about your latest capsule collection Space Talk? 

MOLAYEM: I have always been very obsessed with retrofuturism and looking forward. This collection was conceived while—like everyone else—I was stuck at home, and I just really wanted to leave this world for a minute. I am an escape artist. 

CASTILLO: How do you go about taking totems from the past and ‘futurizing’ them? 

MOLAYEM: The vintage I am inspired by isn’t really practical. Making it wearable is the future, being able to wear your art. When creating the pieces, I put them on and wear them for five days in a row. In the process, I might notice that something doesn’t adhere to a modern lifestyle, In which case, I make changes to make it comfortable for long-term wear.

CASTILLO: I am constantly amazed by the way you lay fabrics to create these avant-garde silhouettes. Where do you draw from when creating your strong shapes? 

MOLAYEM: I believe clothing should have movement and I'm obsessed with shape. I look to vintage pieces and update them in ways that feel right for me. A friend has even used the word "shapes" as an adjective to describe me.

CASTILLO: Creating sustainable fashion is crucial. How are you doing your part with creating environmentaly-friendly designs? 

MOLAYEM: I take so much pride in first of all creating these pieces fifteen minutes away from my house. I don’t consider the place that sews our clothing a factory. The owners I work with directly are husband and wife. I feel so good about where these pieces are getting made and supporting our local economy. The people I work with really care. My pattern maker is just downtown as well. Now, I have some new contractors on bags and belts and they are all downtown. They don’t have minimums or very high minimums, which allows us to create less excess. I don’t need to create more and have all this leftover. We are sourcing our fabrics from one of my favorite vendors, a little mom-and-pop mill in Barcelona. I also include dead-stock fabric in every collection. And although there’s not a ton of it, I love finding ways to use and reuse the leftover material from past collections.

One thing about the fashion industry that drives me crazy—and I think it drives a lot of people crazy—is how often we have new. The fashion calendar doesn’t make sense to me; I don’t understand it. I can’t follow it. It’s too fast for me. I think there has been a lot of conversation about this, and people are waking up to how messed up it is.  

CASTILLO: What do you keep in mind when creating your garments that transcend gender norms? 

MOLAYEM: I design clothing for people and don't have a gender in mind when creating. I love to blend the feminine and masculine. I’ve received great feedback on my pieces from people of all genders, and look forward to having more gender representation in my line and being able to expand my size offerings.

CASTILLO: How do you feel talking about fashion when the world is where it is right now? 

MOLAYEM: Having less of a reason to dress up has only fueled my desire to dress up more. I believe in the transformative power of clothing and love the way the right outfit can be used to channel a mood. It's an important vehicle of self-expression that has really saved my sanity in these times. I am from a Persian-immigrant family and it completely informs the approach to my work. I am committed to amplifying diverse voices and showing faces that have traditionally been shut out of the fashion world. I was not aware of any designers in my community growing up and I am honored to be that representation for a younger generation.

sculpture:
Kelly Lamb
Geo Prism (prototype)

Photographs by Dana Boulos | @danaboulos
Interview by Bree Castillo | @bumblebr3e
Model Obianibeli Esu | @etherealchocolategoddess
Clothing by Animal Crackers | @animalcrackers.clothing
Art and Location: Kelly Lamb Studios | @kellylambstudios
Produced by BJ Panda Bear | @bjpandabear