Designer Profile: Raquel Allegra
Raquel Allegra is perhaps best known for her avant-garde T-shirts made with elaborate shredding techniques and tie-dyed prints. But in just five short years, her collection has matured into a full ready-to-wear line with sophisticated silhouettes made in luxe fabrications.
The Berkeley, Calif.–based Allegra launched her eponymous collection after her T-shirts gained a cult-like following while she worked as a sales associate at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills. The shirts, which were made from recycled tees from the Los Angeles County Jail system, were created with Allegra’s signature shredding technique.
Stretched and tie-dyed, the chic T-shirts and webbed cocoon shapes were an instant hit with celebs and landed in high-end stores, including Maxfield in Los Angeles, Harvey Nichols Hong Kong and Tsum in Russia.
After a runway debut at Boxeight Fashion Week in 2008, followed by Gen Art’s Fresh Faces in Fashion show in 2009, Allegra quickly became a fashion darling on the Los Angeles design scene. During that time she partnered with Tony Graham and his wife, Findings showroom owner Deirdre Roffoni, and the brand evolved into a cut-and-sew collection. Retailers—including high-end specialty boutiques and department stores such as Barneys New York, Lane Crawford and Liberty of London—were quick to pick up the T-shirts, deerskin leggings and one-of-a-kind vintage cashmere pieces.
For Spring 2012, the line has evolved yet again. The recycled vintage jail tees are gone, but the collection retains Allegra’s edgy yet chic design aesthetic with a refined sophistication. The collection includes T-shirts and a complete ready-to-wear line created with the same shredding techniques and original tie-dyed prints in a range of colors and silhouettes. For the first time, the T-shirts and ready-to-wear are made with a cohesive design process in mind.
“I think, now, more than ever, I get to tell a whole story. Before, it’s been in pieces,” Allegra said. “I have more resources to really allow the ideas to grow.”
This season, T-shirts and the wovens were created from Allegra’s favorite prints pulled from her design archives and then photographed and puzzled together by the line’s in-house graphic artist. Allegra plans to employ the same process each season.
“The intention is really to create prints that are directly out of our world, and our language, which again makes the story feel more cohesive and consistent,” she said.
The complete look is casual sophistication with Allegra’s bohemian-chic aesthetic. “When I design a collection, I start from what I’m wearing—what I want to be wearing—everyday. And I just build off of that,” she said.
Blazers are a core piece in Allegra’s own closet. “So I start with [blazers] and layer from there [and create] all the immediate things you want to grab when you are getting dressed in the morning.” T-shirts, blouses and ethereal dresses are a few of the key pieces. Balancing masculine with feminine, the pieces are made to be layered, creating a canvas of rich textures and prints. “I think it’s all really an extension of my personality, how I want to dress, how I want to feel. I think all those different layers and all those different voices and personalities get a place to play in this collection more than ever before,” she said.
The Spring collection was inspired by the character played by actress Sean Young in the ’80s science fiction film “Blade Runner.” The line includes silk dresses, shorts, bodysuits, suits and jumpsuits with a modern-meets-futuristic look. Cashmere sweaters and silk/linen jackets and pants are printed in vibrant tie-dyes, creating an ethnic, sci-fi effect. Casually chic blazers are made to be functional, including one that is reversible and another made in silk chiffon lined with jersey. Blouses and dresses are feminine yet modern, made in fabrics such as a colorful stripe chiffon and a French stretch lace. T-shirts have deconstructed details and come in a range of styles and fabrics, including cotton, micro shadow stripe jersey, and a rayon jersey and twill blend.
Retail prices for T-shirts start at $130 and go up to $400. Wovens are $200 to $1,000, with most falling in the $200 to $600 range. For more information, contact the Findings showroom at (213) 622-0717.
