It’s day five of The Run-Through’s NYFW Shark Week coverage, and we are bringing back an interview with Raul Lopez of the brand Luar. In February, ahead of Lopez’s NYFW-closing fall 2023 show, Chioma took a trip to his studio in Industry City, Brooklyn. Chioma and Raul first met when he was working with Shayne Oliver on Hood By Air back in 2006. In 2017, Raul started Luar (his name spelled backwards), perhaps best known for the Ana bag—an It bag if ever there was one. As Luar once again closes NYFW this season, revisit the conversation here.
Raul Lopez: Hi, I m Raul Lopez. And I have a brand named Luar.
Chioma Nnadi: And tell us a bit about the name. I actually didn t put two and two together for a long time that it was basically your name backwards.
Raul Lopez: It is my name backwards.
Chioma Nnadi: [laughs]
Raul Lopez: Yeah. I mean it already stemmed from creating this alter ego. It was actually my AOL name. It was a way of, like, kind of hiding myself and not letting people know who I really was cause I was obviously gay and I didn t want no one to know and blah, blah. Like being in the chat rooms, but it was still me. And I always say, like, Luar is just a reflection of myself. So it s funny because I used it in the beginning when I started designing my own label, it was Luar Zepol. I was like, I just wanna fool everybody in the industry and make them think I m, like, a French boy.
Chioma Nnadi: [laughs]
Raul Lopez: Like, you know? Cause-
Chioma Nnadi: It does, like, sound like a French name.
Raul Lopez: Yeah. I was, like, it sounds kind of French. Luar Zepol. You know? And, like, it was a way of, like, okay this is how I can, like, click bait. They won t know it s, like, this Dominican boy from Brooklyn. Even though they already knew me, but it was a way to, like, again use the alter ego to, like, reel people in.
Chioma Nnadi: You re one of the few New York designers who actually was born in New York. And tell me what it was like growing up in Brooklyn. I mean you grew up in Williamsburg.
Raul Lopez: I m born and raised in Williamsburg.
Chioma Nnadi: Wow.
Raul Lopez: Which was called Los Surez, which is the south side of Williamsburg. I mean it was definitely a diamond in the rough. [laughs] It was not a good era to be living in Brooklyn. It was probably top five or 10 in the 80s and 90s deemed one of the worst places to live in.
Chioma Nnadi: Wow.
Raul Lopez: And had the biggest poverty rate.
Chioma Nnadi: Mm-hmm.
Raul Lopez: But to me it was beautiful. I loved everything about it. We were getting robbed every month, probably. And our- our, we would get, I- I remember coming home and no TV, everything was gone. Like just he sofas. And my dad was the- the super of the building so they hated us. It was like-
Chioma Nnadi: Oh no.
Raul Lopez: They would spray can our, like, door. I mean this is, like, the graffiti era and it was, like, floor to ceiling graffiti in the building it was just, like, crazy. It looked like an art, now- now it would be, like, an art installation. But we would get home and it d be like, F the super. And, like-
Chioma Nnadi: Oh God.
Raul Lopez: ... I have the kryptonite for his wife. Like, it was, like, crazy. But even though it was this, like, really crazy urban dystopia, I mean that s all I knew. So to me it was really amazing and it was beautiful. And a lot of my inspiration comes from that era. I feel like it built the skin that I have now and the person I am. And I m very grateful for everything that I saw growing up in this, like, shitty dump.
I always sit back and think about it, I mean I was in an Uber coming over here. And I got really emotional because I was just looking out the window and not to sound, like, cliché. And I was like, damn, it s so crazy. Like I m still in the same apartment I grew up in.
Chioma Nnadi: Wow.
Raul Lopez: You know? And to me it s like, all this can come and I ve lived a life of, like, any kid would wish to have. You know? And I ve been privileged. I scraped myself to the top and I ve hustled and bustled. So and, like, going to the bathroom right now I was upstairs. And, um, sorry I m getting a little emotional. But, like, the guy who was, like, in the bathroom cleaning the windows, he- he was just, like, you make me so proud. You, like, I m Dominican. And I see how hard you work in your office.
He s like, "I didn t know you were Dominican." He was like, "Thank you so much for doing this for us." And I was like, "Thank you." And I was walking down here and I was, at the time I was like, I need to take, like, a- a moment. But I think that s, like, my mission is just we could all do it in this, like, space.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah. I mean the- the energy at your shows and having seen how hard you worked and how you really lead from your heart and your soul.
Raul Lopez: Yeah.
Chioma Nnadi: So much of your work you feel the person who you are.
Raul Lopez: Yeah.
Chioma Nnadi: And there s something really pure and beautiful about- about that. I recently went to the Harvey Milk school to talk to some of the kids with a friend of yours, James Garland.
Raul Lopez: Oh my God.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah. And I think you went to that school, right?
Raul Lopez: So actually I used to sneak into the school.
Chioma Nnadi: Okay, okay.
Raul Lopez: So James and Shayne, Shayne and me co founded HBA.
Chioma Nnadi: Mm-hmm.
Raul Lopez: And sh- and James was part of the clique as well.
Chioma Nnadi: Right.
Raul Lopez: And also designed, like, the accessories and, you know, he was part of the team. It was just, like, us three, you know? But it was just so funny because I used to go there because Shayne would use the Photoshop class and we would use it to make the HBA T-shirts.
Chioma Nnadi: Right. Wow.
Raul Lopez: Illustrator was so expensive.
Chioma Nnadi: Amazing.
Raul Lopez: So it was, like, we were going there and then we were, like, get the PDF and then take it to, like, I think it was, like, on Barrack Street. And get the screens burned. And then we would silkscreen in my house on the floor.
Chioma Nnadi: Wow.
Raul Lopez: And, you know, humble beginnings.
Chioma Nnadi: [laughs] It s so cool. I mean I think we should explain a little bit about, like, what makes this, that school particularly special. Obviously it s, like, designed specifically for-
Raul Lopez: Queer children.
Chioma Nnadi: ... yeah for queer children.
Raul Lopez: It s just for queer children. And I think it was a good moment in my life because I was going to a straight high school.
Chioma Nnadi: Right.
Raul Lopez: And I met Shayne on Christopher Street which was, like, the safe haven for, like, all the queer kids. Especially for the POC kids cause we couldn t be who we really wanted to be. Like I used to pack my clothing in my backpack, get changed on the train platform.
Chioma Nnadi: Wow.
Raul Lopez: When I would get off on, like, West 4th. And- and there was no M train so it was, like, from J you had to... And this is at night. So I was, like, sneaking out and, like, 10:00 PM. And then going to, like, Christopher Street. And so I would take the J to the F. And then get off on West 4th, and then walk all the way to the M cause it was this, like-
Chioma Nnadi: Oh.
Raul Lopez: ... round mirror at the end of the platform which is, like, I mean there wasn t cameras so they had these mirrors. And I used to go to Milk was, because on Fridays they would have at the school was, like, voguing. This is where, like, the mini-balls started. And Shayne was nasty at voguing. Like it was so good. But it was funny cause I used to have really long hair. So, like, my thing was, like, always throwing shade with my hair.
And that s how kind of, like, even before we were cool, like, we would, there was this spot in Harlem called the Karate Club. And it was called the c- the clubhouse. And clubhouse is where we all used to go. And that where they would have, like, the mini-balls. Every Thursday I would go from Brooklyn to Harlem and leave there at, like, 5:00 AM to go to school.
Chioma Nnadi: Because those balls always start late, right? They don t get going until, like-
Raul Lopez: So it was like-
Chioma Nnadi: What is the average start time?
Raul Lopez: And so you would, you would go and the beats, they would just have, like, voguing beats. It was, like, and you ll just be going crazy for, like, three hours.
Chioma Nnadi: Wow.
Raul Lopez: And then it d be, like, let s say, like, from, like, 10:00 to, like, 1:00 AM. And then the ball would start. But for those three hours you re just going crazy.
Chioma Nnadi: What was the atmosphere? Like what was it like for you as, like, a teenager to be in those spaces?
Raul Lopez: Good. It was just, like, a really difficult era to, you know, be flamboyant. And just the way we did. I mean we stood out even in the balls. We stood out in Christopher Street. We stood out in the hood. We stood out everywhere we went, we always stood out. I- I think, like, it was a safe haven for all of us.
Chioma Nnadi: Mm-hmm.
Raul Lopez: Like a lot of these kids were being displaces. They were being kicked out of homes. I had the luxury and the privilege to not be kicked out. But I still couldn t be myself.
Chioma Nnadi: I m so curious, y- you know, I feel like you probably came out of the womb with style. Like when did you know you wanted to design?
Raul Lopez: I always loved it.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah.
Raul Lopez: I always try to, like- like I said, my dad was a super. So he was trying to get my to do, like, custodial work or, like, construction or something. And I m like, no. I just wanted to be by my mom by the sewing machine. If you see, like, all my looks when I was a kid-
Chioma Nnadi: I ve heard about them.
Raul Lopez: My mom would have to, like, put me in a suit and tie to go to school. I wouldn t go. And they used to call me chalinita, which means little tie. Because I always had to have a tie on.
Chioma Nnadi: [laughs]
Raul Lopez: It s so funny. I m, like, still the same girl. [laughs] Look at this picture. I have it always on my phone.
Chioma Nnadi: Oh let-
Raul Lopez: I just like-
Chioma Nnadi: You ll have to describe it us. What-
Raul Lopez: It s, like-
Chioma Nnadi: Oh my God.
Raul Lopez: ... the gold chain, the fade, the hair design.
Chioma Nnadi: [laughs]
Raul Lopez: It s like, the T-shirt. I m, like, I m really the, I m the same person.
Chioma Nnadi: [laughs]
Raul Lopez: It s the same person.
Chioma Nnadi: Literally the same.
Raul Lopez: But I always knew I always want to be a designer since I was a kid. It also was a way of escaping and kind of becoming this chame- chameleon to fit into all the circles in school.
Chioma Nnadi: Mm-hmm.
Raul Lopez: So I was, like, kind of, like, designing things that, you know, could appease, like, the hood kids, like, the goth kids, like, the nerds. So it was like he, I would have, like, the Timberland on with, like, a part of, like, really weird jeans that I probably, like, chopped up and, like, one of them took the sleeves off put it on my T-shirt and, like, safety pins. It was just, I was so crazy. It was just, like... But it was duct tape, I- I made so much stuff out of duct tape. It was crazy.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah.
Raul Lopez: Like Home Depot probably made so much money off of me growing up cause it was, like, if you as, like, people that went to, like, junior high school, high school with me, they were like, "Oh my God." They used to ask me if I could design something for them and they would pay me with the duct tape. Cause I was going so crazy with this duct tape. It was like Valentine s was coming, I was, like, red tape and, like, white tape and, like, black. It was, like, and then I had the thrift store, Dom Z s, that was, like, two blocks from me. So I would just go buy leather-
Chioma Nnadi: Uh-huh.
Raul Lopez: ... chop it up. Do like the whole thing. It was, I mean kind of still my DNA.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah.
Raul Lopez: Still the same girl.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah, it s-
Raul Lopez: I love a hybrid.
Chioma Nnadi: ... it s so cool. Yeah, no. I- I- I love how your- your aesthetics all speaks to that too, you know? And obviously you had knowledge, you know, you d already been part of a fashion brand. Like what was it like, what was the kind of emotion going into doing your first thing solo? Because, like, obviously you knew you d- you d had a history of doing fashion.
Raul Lopez: Mm-hmm.
Chioma Nnadi: But like there something different about striking out on your own and it being-
Raul Lopez: Yeah. I mean obviously it s different when you don t have a shoulder to lean on. Or-
Chioma Nnadi: Mm-hmm.
Raul Lopez: ... someone to, like, ask or... I was completely by myself.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah.
Raul Lopez: And Shayne is a genius.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah.
Raul Lopez: At the end of the day we re still, like, close friends.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah.
Raul Lopez: Like just they re my sister, you know? And credit is due when it s due and she is one of the best designers that has existed in our era, you know?
Chioma Nnadi: For sure, for sure.
Raul Lopez: For sure. Like-
Chioma Nnadi: For sure.
Raul Lopez: It s in- like period.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah.
Raul Lopez: But I think that was our story and I wanted to save my own story. And, you know, and when I decided to do it, it was difficult. It was hard. I was alone and it s a hard thing to start again from scratch.
Chioma Nnadi: I bet.
Raul Lopez: We scratched-
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah.
Raul Lopez: ... to get to the top.
Chioma Nnadi: You built a brand.
Raul Lopez: I wanted to create something that people can also exist be, and fit in, and if you don t fit in and make clothing that make people feel comfortable in their own skin.
Chioma Nnadi: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I mean and then you went from that to, like, having a- a best selling it bag. I mean you did what a lot of designers really, what s so difficult to do. Like tel us about, like, what the process was of designing that first bag and obviously being an accessories girl yourself, knowing accessories. Like what were you-
Raul Lopez: I think, I mean in an accessory girl. Like that s my thing. But it took me a long time to, like, figure out the perfect silhouette that also I wanted to pay homage to my grandmother and my mom. But I didn t know how to, like, conceptualize it yet. They hustled and bustled in these factories in New York. I wanted to, like, kind of represent the mod era of, like, fashion with the handle.
Chioma Nnadi: Mm-hmm.
Raul Lopez: Which is more like my grandmother s era. And then the briefcase-esque shape of the body which is more like a 80, 90s, you know, nod to my mom. In that our home, that, I- I remember making a briefcase out of, like, neoprene. And I put, like, I remember cutting off backpack straps and, like, literally hand stitching it. And I covered my dad s briefcase in the neoprene. And he s looking for it and it was in my closet. And I had took it and, like, wrapped it in, like, black neoprene and, like, put straps on it.
And I think the bag is really special. I wanted people to take a pice of me and my heritage. And also, like, paying homage to immigrants that came here. I like to share stories through my pieces.
Chioma Nnadi: Tell- tell me about the name of the bag.
Raul Lopez: Uh, so the bag is called Anna. Uh, it s named after my mom, both my grandmothers, my sister and-
Chioma Nnadi: Wow.
Raul Lopez: ... XY and Z, they re all Annas. That s why I named it Anna because of them. All the female figures in my family that really molded me into who I am. And my mom is my biggest supporter, since I was a kid. And I remember her, like, her, like, being like, "No I wanna take you to therapy." But it was because she was trying to convert me.
Chioma Nnadi: Right.
Raul Lopez: She wanted me to come out.
Chioma Nnadi: Right, right, right. Wow.
Raul Lopez: And she saw me so miserable and she was just really trying to help me free myself.
Chioma Nnadi: Mm-hmm.
Raul Lopez: And she- she was like, "If you can t tell me, maybe you ll tell somebody else that s not in the family." And, like, you know, you can finally, like, just let it out and say it. Like just say it. Cause she always says it, she says it. She was like, she was like, when I came out to me mom she was like, "Aw, the only one who didn t know was you." You know?
Chioma Nnadi: [laughs]
Raul Lopez: And I m crying, it s, like, 3:00 AM. And I come home and I m, like, crying on the couch. And she comes down, she s like, "What s wrong?" And I was like, "I m bisexual." Cause I couldn t say, I didn t even wanna say I was gay. You know? I was like, I still like girls.
Chioma Nnadi: [laughs]
Raul Lopez: But she was like, "Oh sweetie." You know? "It s okay." She was like, "The only one who didn t know was you." And I was like, that wasn t the outcome I wanted. I wanted you to cry and, like, she was just laughing. It was kind of crazy because I was so scared my whole life.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah. Countdown to fashion week. You- you are closing fashion week which is huge deal. How are you feeling right now?
Raul Lopez: I feel crazy. Good crazy though. But a lot of anx- like I m a bit angsty. Just nervous, you know. I just wanna make everybody proud and not saying, like, I m not gonna shut it down cause I am.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah. I m excited to know what you have in store. Cause I think everyone so many people, myself included, your collection was one of the best.
Raul Lopez: Thank you, that means a lot.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah.
Raul Lopez: That means a lot.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah.
Raul Lopez: Yeah.
Chioma Nnadi: I mean the office was, like, everybody was so excited. So-
Raul Lopez: I don t think-
Chioma Nnadi: No- no- no pressure. No pressure.
Raul Lopez: I mean it s always pressure. Even without the pressure. And-
Chioma Nnadi: Exciting.
Raul Lopez: ... I think it ll be pretty dope. I hope so.
Chioma Nnadi: Yeah I can t wait to see.
The Run-Through at Vogue is a production of Conde Nast entertainment. Make sure to follow us wherever you listen to podcasts. I m Chioma Nnadi.
Chloe Malle: And I m Chloe Malle. Bye.