Rodarte’s Fantasy Life
“We’ve always been interested in the notion that the mundane can be fantastical,” explain Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy. This notion—that everything is not as it seems—is the starting point for Rodarte’s latest short film. Produced by The Creators Project, a partnership between Intel and Vice, “This Must Be The Only Fantasy” is a narrative short featuring Rodarte’s Spring Summer 2013 collection. What begins as any other carefree teenage rendezvous in present-day L.A. mutates into a surreal adventure, featuring mystical characters that mirror the medieval elements evident in the collection.
Starring the ethereal Sidney Williams in her film debut alongside Guinevere van Seenus and Elijah Wood, the project is the third in a series of narrative fashion films the brand has conceived with director Todd Cole. Like the two previous films, “The Curve of Forgotten Things” and “Aanteni,” “This Must Be The Only Fantasy” fits seamlessly into the story of the collection; a story that, for Rodarte, tends to begin on the runway and evolve in deliberate yet unexpected ways. “We are always thinking about how we can further create an immersive experience,” the designers say. “One that brings to life the world that we are imagining.”
Just as the Mulleavys’ designs are considered down to the finest detail, every minute aspect of the film is a functioning cog in the story. “Every collection is unique and requires different creative ideas and context,” explain Kate and Laura. In this case, 18-year-old Williams captures the sense of effortlessness and innocence the designers sought for Spring/Summer 2013. For music they turned to indie darlings Beach House. “We knew that they would score the film in a sublimely beautiful and moving way,” the designers say. Finally, director Todd Cole never fails to bring the designers’ vision to life. “[With Todd], we always seem to be on the same page and yet, we still surprise and inspire each other,” the designers say. Yet again, Rodarte presents a fashion fantasy unlike any other.
