Raul Lopez on Clout Demons, Ballroom Culture, and Taste

 

 

Raul Lopez is New York City’s final boss. He’s a tastemaker, fashion influencer, and the creative director of Luar, a brand he established after cofounding Hood By Air with Shayne Oliver. His latest hit design is Ana, a new “It”-bag inspired by ’60s mod shapes that’s been spotted on the wrists of celebrities like Dua Lipa and Troye Sivan. Here, the Williamsburg, Brooklyn native spills on clout demons, ballroom culture, grannies, and of course, taste.

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THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

“God’s gift to Earth. My biggest inspiration. I’ve never felt as gay as I do when I go there. I just want to go crazy and put on looks and do the craziest hairstyles, just so they’re like, ‘Oh, she’s back.’ They love that shit.”

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TASTE

“I have premium trash taste—premium palette, trashy exterior. Taste is very specific. If you have it, you have it. If you don’t, you don’t. You can’t buy it.”

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FASHION WEEK PARTIES

“The whole door thing drives me crazy. It’s like you’re getting tested for COVID. Are you in or are you not? Are you negative or are you positive?” 

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NATURAL WINE

“Fab, like me. Organic, old, barreled, and yummy.”

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CLOUT DEMONS

A clout demon is like me on my own Instagram, just faking it. Who else is a clout demon? I don’t want to mention names.”

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WILLIAMSBURG

 “When I think of Williamsburg, I think about Kent Avenue. It was where I had sex, where I used to hook up, but also where I used to get the best look inspos from. You have Hasidics, Latinos, and all these tech nerds and hideous hipsters.” 

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GRANNIES

“Grannies are a lifestyle. It’s not about age. It’s about how you carry yourself, how you dress. Grannies are pioneers. They set trends the other girls follow. In ballroom culture you start going into granny because you know what you want to do and how to do it. You know when to clock in and clock out.” 

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Y2K

“Y2Gay. My best era. I remember going to this party—I had my hair pressed and split down the middle. Chinchilla fur. An Emilio Pucci long ​​sleeve t-shirt that I got at Century 21. Some Diesel jeans with a nasty wash, and a pointed Prada toe.”

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PETIT PETON

“Bitch, I was going to do a collection inspired by Petit Peton. It was on 8th Street. That’s where all the stylists went to get celebrities’ shoes. All the fab bitches would go in there and get the Giuseppe toes, the Jimmy Choos, the Cavallis. These bitches was getting the toe.” 

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 NYC SHOPPING

“Just because New York is such a hype city people expect it to have the best boutiques.But I feel like it’s kind of lost that je ne sais quoi. Maybe the buyers aren’t good. There’s actually nothing in New York.”

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ANA

“My mother, my grandmother, my sister. A legacy, a house, pioneers. The Ana bag was inspired by my grandmother and my mom. The handle is a nod to ’60s mod, and the body references ’80s briefcases. Both my grandmothers, from my mom and my dad’s sides, are Ana and they both had amazing style. I wanted every- one to carry this story around. It’s true to my family and true to me.” 

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BLAZERS

“Blazers can look cheap if they’re cut badly. But it’s like a little black dress: You could get a good one and always have it, or you could get a really ugly peplum dress and just be done for the rest of your life.” 

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SUNGLASSES

“Sunglasses are like the metaverse. Some people could live without it, but I can’t. I need to be in it. I need to be in this virtual world all day. I can’t live without them. It’s like a gamer without their games. I have drawers full of eyewear that I’ve gotten from Japan, Paris, London, New York, Morocco, Dominican Republic, L.A., and Mexico. Everywhere I go, I buy deadstock eyewear.”

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REFERENCES

“I think people need to do more research rather than referencing Instagram and Tumblr. Go to the library, girl. It’s there. Bring your phone that you have in your hand all day and go take pictures of your references. Because, bitch, if you want to be cute, references are necessary. Without them, we can’t live.”