Rodarte Reveals a Sentimental New Tom Petty Collection

Not to be too woo-woo, but it seems that Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mulleavy are blessed by the planet they inhabit. When they designed their fantastic spring 2022 collection with movement in mind, they never considered the weather, but on that September day, wind whooshed through a West Village courtyard to inflate their mushroom-caped dresses. “We just could never have imagined such a perfect day,” Laura said via phone. It’s serendipitous that their first concert ever would be Tom Petty’s Wildflower tour in the ’90s— “My dad took us out of school and said, ‘You need to see Tom Petty.’ I credit my dad for introducing us to something that we’ll never forget, which became a huge part of our musical tastes,” she added—and that almost 30 years later they would be collaborating with Petty’s estate on a Wildflowers-themed capsule collection. “I mean, I still have the ticket stub!” says Kate. It must be kismet? 

Or maybe things just have a way of working out for designers who operate on a high sentimental frequency. In Rodarte-land, no choice is made without an awareness of its emotional resonance. To mark the debut of the new documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers, the sisters Petty (Tom’s daughters) asked the sisters Mulleavy to dream up something special. 

Rather than a runway tribute or fashion film, Kate and Laura asked their mother to illustrate poppies—something of a signature Rodarte bloom—to be printed on basics as a part of their Radarte collection, and asked their friend Daria Kobayashi Ritch to photograph musicians wearing the pieces. The collection will go on sale at MatchesFashion.com tomorrow. What’s more, the Pettys gave the Mulleavys their blessing to use Tom Petty’s own clothing in their shoot. “It was a really special day to be connected to the history of what he’s done,” began Laura, with Kate adding, “As a creator, the different genres he pulled from made this one sound that is so unique. I think that’s why he has had such an impact on us, because he could be influenced by anything and his output is almost indefinable.” Musicians Joanna Newsom, Japanese Breakfast, Arrow de Wilde, Tweaks, King Princess, and more sport Tom’s clothing in the Cali hills with the Radarte collection, suggesting a bridge between genres, eras, and styles. 

To the designers, using Radarte as a gateway to explore other themes in their work and take on new creative projects like this has massive appeal. “For us, Radarte has really become a great place to explore collaborations and cultural touchstones that are important to us,” said Laura. “I think we are just starting to see all of the possibilities for future collaborations and projects.”