LUAR: Rising Like a Phoenix

You have all these people smushed together in one space,” explains designer Raul Lopez of his brand Luar’s AW-24 runway show. “Everyone who goes to my shows is like, ‘Oh my god, the energy is so crazy.’ You can feel it in the room, pulsating. That’s the whole point.”

The intentionally crowded, club-like nature of the presentation was made even more hectic as Beyonce made her first and only NYFW appearance since 2015—and in Bushwick no less. Or, so scream most outlets on Google News.

This energy coupled with numerous accolades—including CFDA Accessories Designer of the Year and TIME Magazine’s Next 100 list in 2022, and being the only American LVMH Finalist in 2023—has been drawing massive attention to the brand, which the Dominican, Brooklyn-born designer started in 2017. After meeting Shayne Oliver when they were teenagers, they co-founded Hood By Air in 2005, and Lopez left the brand in 2011 to pursue his own label.

We jumped on a Zoom just after the recent show and discussed his self-described phoenix era.

PAIGE SILVERIA: As I was doing research for this, “Beyonce in Bushwick” kept coming up. I can’t imagine how busy things must be on your end.

RAUL LOPEZ: It’s very that. It’s bonkers in here. I feel good. I’m just a little tired. I’ve been like, go, go, go, nonstop. But it’s good. That’s what you sign up for, right?

PS: Tell me about the AW-24 show.

RL: It encapsulates exactly what I’m trying to portray in New York and sets the tone. It’s the old mentality of all social classes in one space. No one is better than anyone else. I like to immerse people in a floor experience. The clothing is just a part of it; there’s also the casting, the space, the music, the different elements. It’s like a salad where you just throw everything in there and then toss it and it just tastes delicious even if you don’t have anything good. I like bringing people together and vibing and feeding off each other’s energy. That’s why I made it a little tighter, so people are more compressed. Like when you go to clubs and parties and you’re so annoyed by it, but then you think, “Fuck it. I’ll have a good time.” I love having all the different characters come out, all the personalities. Everybody wants to claw to the top—why not just throw everybody in one room?

PS: There seems to be such a supportive community between the brands showing in New York. What’s your take?

RL: Well, I can’t really speak for Europe because I haven’t showed there yet. But I get a lot of love when I’m there. I have a crazy community and people say, “You need to come show here.” I think they want that same energy there. I’ve cultivated this world in New York where I want everyone to hang out, be cool, stay Switzerland, and be true, chill with everyone. I don’t like gossip. I don’t like beef. This pays for all of us. I don’t do what you do. We can share. New York is having a resurgence where the anti-fashion girls are shining, telling the old institutions, “This is what it is now. Either you get with it, or you don’t.” Us supporting each other is a way of telling people and solidifying that this is the vibe. Times have changed. New Yorkers are really radical. They like to make it hot. I like the feeling of showing here and the energy of everyone doing their thing and championing each other. That’s nice and refreshing in an industry where everyone’s kind of cutthroat.

PS: Do you think you’ll always want to do things in Brooklyn?

RL: I don’t really care where I show. They hook me up here. If institutions and places in Manhattan were like, “Here’s a space,” then maybe. But it always comes with something attached to it.

PS: Have you seen The New York Times piece about Carly Mark of Puppets and Puppets? She’s leaving New York for London and Paris, due to a lack of support from institutions for young fashion talent.

RL: Oh my God. No, I didn’t see that. Damn, that sucks. Maybe she did it to make it hot. Or maybe it’s like a reality house vibe. Like, “I’m leaving. I’m done with this!” And then next season she’s back. It would actually be amazing if she didn’t actually go anywhere and said, “Just kidding! They renewed my contract. People started to help me here, so I’m going to stay.”

PS: Can we talk about your experiences with AOL chat rooms? They were the place to find your people, the beginning of Internet friends, back in the day.

RL: I love AOL. I think it was the pinnacle of catfishing and selling yourself and fantasy to people. I used to lie and say I was a model. You were sending a picture of a picture and uploading it. It was such a cool era because it was more mysterious and you didn’t know if you were getting what you asked for. The grind was harder because you were trying to figure yourself out and figure everyone else out, and everyone was a liar. “Fake it until you make it” was everywhere—with dating, sex, a career, the whole thing. It wasn’t innocent … but in a weird, dark way, it also was. No one really knew who you were, but is that a crime? I really miss it. Oh my God, those chat rooms. I met my first boyfriend there.

PS: How did that go?

RL: Uh, a catastrophe, girl.

PS: What was your username?

RL: Luar Zepol.

PS: Wait, that’s where the brand name came from?

RL: Yeah, I was like fourteen. It was The Sims before The Sims. The unknown was what was so cool. Everything is so known and in your face now. Back then, we were building a character. You’d get to know people and become friends and you didn’t even see each other’s faces. Those moments were very Sleepless in Seattle. Very sweet. And ASL was age, sex, location, not American Sign Language.

PS: Can you share any cute stories of when you first went to the ballrooms?

RL: That was another level. They don’t exist anymore either. They wiped that all out. You see pop-ups here and there, but it doesn’t compare. Christopher Street was from Sixth Avenue all the way to the Westside Highway. It was the Times Square of gays and queer people of New York. I remember going there at 9pm and leaving at 5am. Just walking up and down, up and down, because it was only gay people. A lot of them even lived there. I even slept there a couple times. It was a space where you could just be yourself and not get beat up. Also, it was a safe haven for a lot of POC kids. I couldn’t leave my house dressed up, so I would take my clothes in my backpack and get dressed on the W4 platform all the way at the end, where they had a round mirror. From there, we’d go upstairs and pump up and down. It’s so funny that you’re mentioning this, cause a lot of my friends have been talking about how they’ve wiped out all the bars. You have gay parties but no gay clubs.

PS: How is that possible?

RL: Real estate, girl. It’s gone—completely gone.

PS: Speaking of parties, I love yours. Have you thought about starting a regular thing?

RL: We were just talking about that an hour before you called. I do want to start one. I think my parties bring so many different walks of life into a space—gay, straight, bi, queer. It does not matter what you are, just chic. And everyone gets along. They might not know each other, but everyone’s vibing. There were a thousand people at my party after the show. And there was a butt plug that Rich Aybar made hanging from the ceiling, all lit up. I’m obsessed. So funny.

PS: It must be really fun to collaborate with friends in these different ways.

RL: I love Rich. I love his work. And not just because he’s my friend. He knows I’m not biased; everyone knows I’m not. I don’t care if you’re my friend; if it’s not good, it’s not good. Friends need to hear that too, right? You have to be honest with them. And it’s the same thing for me. They all come in and tell me that they don’t like this girl or that this is not cute; this won’t sell; you need to do this. I’d rather my friends do that than lie to me and cheat me and then I look stupid.

PS: Over the pandemic you were at the Caribbean resort Palm Heights as a creative consultant for a while. How did that come about?

RL: I don’t know if I was a creative consultant. I don’t really like to give myself a title down there. I call myself the Big Mouth Granny. I’ve always said that I don’t really know what I’ve done down there, but I have a big mouth. And I like things to look good. [Owner] Gabriela [Kahlil] is iconic and her work is nuts. She’s so tasteful and such a boss. I love seeing a woman dominate a room. I love ball switches. I love women who come in and can take control with their energy and their presence and then can also deliver. That’s key, definitely. Cause you can walk into a room and look fab, but can you carry that? It’s very different. You can look good in the picture, but do you give that in person? … And we’re both the same three signs.

PS: Which?

RL: We’re Scorpio, Taurus, Leo. So, she’s like my actual sister. We’re very sensitive and loyal, very determined to work and finish what we start. Scorpio is very cutthroat in a way where we like transparency. Don’t paint a pretty picture for us and then come and fuck us over. Because then we’re slicing your heads off. As long as you’re loyal to me, I will be completely loyal to you. And then Leos love the glam and to be looked at. Taurus is emotional and can be hard-headed but is also determined. When I tell people my sign, they’re like, “Oh my God.” And I’m like, “No, I’m not that Scorpio, because I’m in my phoenix era.” Scorpios have three: the serpent, then scorpion, then phoenix.

PS: How is the phoenix era materializing for you?

RL: I mean, Google me right now.

PS: Oh my God, yes.

RL: I mean, I’m eternally grateful. I’ve been scraping, clawing to get to the top for so many years. Some people think it’s an overnight thing. I’m like, “Well, babe, she’s been around for 20 years.” From Hood By Air and to then doing my own thing.

PS: I feel like the Luar world can expand in so many directions. Do you see that happening outside of fashion and events?

RL: I’m trying to incorporate everything I’m into—music, food, art. I want to make it a multidisciplinary ecosystem. You dress up to go eat dinner and you talk about art or music and these different categories. So, it’s about getting that all in one. And everyone knows me as the dinner girl. All the chefs I know usually invite me to come try a new dish before they put it out because I’m very honest. I like to call myself the Miranda Priestly of the palette. I’m the new Michelin Star in town, babes. I literally go to some restaurants and I’m like, “I’m taking the star away, because you’re not it.”

PS: Where’s giving it for you now?

RL: There’s this new spot by my place called YUU that I like. It depends on what I want or what I’m in the mood for. I eat out every night. I have not cooked a meal in years. But I might make ramen noodle soup at home. That’s the contrast, that’s the high and the low.