Vox Humana, our latest addition to Future Tense from the American design duo Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte and filmmaker Griffin, offers a Lynchian, dystopian vision of Los Angeles with a menacing twist. Rodarte's interpretation of modern women has taken a darker turn with their A/W 2008 collection, inspired by Japanese horror films, and accordingly, ’Vox Humana’- Latin for 'Human Voice' - examines this decidedly sinister side of their design ethos. Featuring one of the sisters’ signature (and suitably distressed) 'slasher' dresses in plucked and laddered mohair, a setting straight from their Californian hometown and a melancholy soundtrack sung by their grandmother in the 1940s, Vox Humana is a resolutely personal creation. Nevertheless, as with their painstakingly handwrought creations, it represents a new aesthetic with major global impact.
View this blog entry >Congratulations to Rodarte - a fashion film that looks like something I haven't seen before (well, perhaps apart from Night of the Hunter).
It certainly kicks the arse out of those appalling David Lynch shorts for Calvin Klein back in the day. And makes me want one of those hand mirrors that make your head look like it's contained by a wine glass. Where can I get one?
Beautiful, evocative visuals. I love the dark counterpoint to California's overexposed sunny side. A tantalizing step into the shade.
