Although he grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, designer Raul Lopez keeps in close touch with his Dominican roots. During production, he flies back to the Dominican Republic to work with tailors, handcrafting each piece of his futuristic collections. It is no surprise then, that his Spring/Summer 2014 collection is named after a Dominican slang word: desacatao. "It means down for anything," Raul explained. The pieces feature ample cargo pockets to carry everything you could need during your busy day, and there's even a top that features a detachable hydration pack to keep your thirst at bay. (So useful during the summertime.) Raul's currently in the DR to work on his next collection, but OC managed to snag a bit of his time to talk shop, slang, and cocktail backpacks.
Shop all Luar Zepol here
Dana Melanz: Hey Raul! We're so jealous that you're in the Caribbean right now. Let’s start by talking about the inspiration behind your Spring/Summer 2014 collection.
Raul Lopez: So, “desacatao” is Dominican slang that the boys use here. It means “down for anything, down to chill, ride or die...” I just really wanted to incorporate that with the collection this season. It’s this man in this urban field, ready to fight, ready for anything.
Your seasons have lots of futuristic aspects to them, is that something you’re interested in?
I've always had this crazy infatuation with living in the future. Growing up, I wanted to be one of the Jetsons, always into the crazy movies like Total Recall and Mad Max. Those movies were really big inspirations to me growing up. I kind of felt like that was me and I wasn’t supposed to be here, I was supposed to be there. But, if I couldn’t be there, why not bring it here?
And so it’s supposed to be like a journey through your mind, right?
Exactly. Luar Zepol is always tapping into my childhood—it’s very nostalgic in a way. Like, I’m not a writer and this is the only way I could actually express myself, through my clothing. Through my collections. I want people to take a piece of me, and this is the only way to sit back, relax, and write my whole life out to the world.
There are paintball aspects too, did you go paintballing as a kid?
I did! I would go to Pennsylvania, and to Monticello, NY with my community center. We would go up there and have the best time, ever. I remember just going up there… but I was the one running for my life and hiding out behind a rock, waiting for the boys. I think I was one of the most strategic ones.
What are some of inspirations for the technical pieces?
I love incorporating things for the guy that’s always on the go, in a rush, because that’s me, that’s the New Yorker, it’s the man from Gotham. Everything is always going so fast so I add things like stow pockets. The hydration backpacks are something I’d really been wanting to do because I’m always stopping to find a drink at a bodega or supermarket, and like this would always make me late, stopping to get a drink. So, why not incorporate that into a garment and add a stow pocket so you can throw everything in there and just go?
Have you put it to use?
I have! But, I don’t put milk in them… someone asked me that. I was like, “No, not for milk!” You can put cocktails, for when you’re really stressed.
How did the idea of the collection play into the lookbook video? It’s just this guy hanging out by himself, jumping from rooftop to rooftop.
Shop all Luar Zepol here
Dana Melanz: Hey Raul! We're so jealous that you're in the Caribbean right now. Let’s start by talking about the inspiration behind your Spring/Summer 2014 collection.
Raul Lopez: So, “desacatao” is Dominican slang that the boys use here. It means “down for anything, down to chill, ride or die...” I just really wanted to incorporate that with the collection this season. It’s this man in this urban field, ready to fight, ready for anything.
Your seasons have lots of futuristic aspects to them, is that something you’re interested in?
I've always had this crazy infatuation with living in the future. Growing up, I wanted to be one of the Jetsons, always into the crazy movies like Total Recall and Mad Max. Those movies were really big inspirations to me growing up. I kind of felt like that was me and I wasn’t supposed to be here, I was supposed to be there. But, if I couldn’t be there, why not bring it here?
And so it’s supposed to be like a journey through your mind, right?
Exactly. Luar Zepol is always tapping into my childhood—it’s very nostalgic in a way. Like, I’m not a writer and this is the only way I could actually express myself, through my clothing. Through my collections. I want people to take a piece of me, and this is the only way to sit back, relax, and write my whole life out to the world.
There are paintball aspects too, did you go paintballing as a kid?
I did! I would go to Pennsylvania, and to Monticello, NY with my community center. We would go up there and have the best time, ever. I remember just going up there… but I was the one running for my life and hiding out behind a rock, waiting for the boys. I think I was one of the most strategic ones.
What are some of inspirations for the technical pieces?
I love incorporating things for the guy that’s always on the go, in a rush, because that’s me, that’s the New Yorker, it’s the man from Gotham. Everything is always going so fast so I add things like stow pockets. The hydration backpacks are something I’d really been wanting to do because I’m always stopping to find a drink at a bodega or supermarket, and like this would always make me late, stopping to get a drink. So, why not incorporate that into a garment and add a stow pocket so you can throw everything in there and just go?
Have you put it to use?
I have! But, I don’t put milk in them… someone asked me that. I was like, “No, not for milk!” You can put cocktails, for when you’re really stressed.
How did the idea of the collection play into the lookbook video? It’s just this guy hanging out by himself, jumping from rooftop to rooftop.