Raf Reyes is an artist and designer at the cutting edge of streetwear design. A Royal College of Art Graduate, he creates unique pieces that navigate the boundaries between art and fashion. With the label VeryRare, Reyes takes inspiration from a diverse range of places 鈥 from Renaissance painting to Alice in Wonderland and contemporary music. These influences collide in energetic collections, encouraging audiences to reconsider our relationships with clothing and fast fashion.
A: You started out as a visual artist. What kind of work were you making, and what inspired you to make the shift towards design?
RR: I鈥檓 from an artistic and commercial background, with members of my family 鈥 at each generational level 鈥 deeply involved in either fine arts or trade. Exhibitions of my works were held in the Ferragamo flagship store on Avenue Montaigne in Paris, and my alma mater, the University of Warwick, recognised my talent 鈥 enabling my work to be permanently exhibited in the main hall of their business school building. My main interest is 2D collage and 3D assemblage. The guiding principles in my work are impactful visuality and catharsis. My pieces are very layered (like the substrata of my mind/consciousness), sometimes glitchy and maximalist. I design because it鈥檚 an art form too; my influences include David Carson, Dieter Rams and Barbara Kruger.
A: How would you describe VERYRARE鈥檚 visual style?
RR: I reference design history, signalling its existence within the colliding worlds of archive and 21st century fashion. VERYRARE鈥檚 selected visuals feature different universes 鈥 ranging from 1990s aesthetics to contemporary sub-culture imagery. It鈥檚 a fresh and reimagined clothing style, in which opposing ideas speak to one another and are turned into very rare pieces. Shortlisted in two adjectives: 鈥榗athartic鈥 and 鈥檜napologetic鈥.
A: Which artists, designers and creative influences do you take inspiration from?
RR: I can鈥檛 pick only one! The baseline of VERYRARE and my thinking is collage: aggregated thought and perspectives coming from a lot of different directions. When it comes to aesthetics and art-related topics, I鈥檓 someone attracted to extremes: from Renaissance-style art to my 鈥渄ay one inspiration鈥, the street. The global community, humanity and my fellow creative tribe inspires me beyond measure. This includes fellow designers/creators such as @Slimesunday and @Beeple_crap. Recently, Daisuke Ohba, Raymond Pettibon and Wes Lang have influenced me the most 鈥 alongside Ed Ruscha, Warhol, Ramellzee, Futura2000 and Basquiat.
Deserving of a special place in my heart are Hajime Sorayama鈥檚 chromed-out characters and “superrealism” wave; Takashi Murakami for his superflat and maximalist kawaii imagery; and Daniel Arsham for his 鈥渇ictional archeology鈥, where new and old blur. Lastly, writer-entrepreneur Bobby Hundreds鈥 book This Is Not a Tshirt hit me deeply for its internet-led, brand-centric, renegade entrepreneurialism.
A: You have said: 鈥淥ur objective is to sell artwear, or even better just art, instead of streetwear and fast fashion鈥 How would you describe 鈥渁rtwear鈥? How do you view the relationship between art and fashion? And what is VERYRARE鈥檚 affinity with the number 21?
RR: Artwear鈥檚 roots stem from artists doing clothing. For instance, all his life, Salvador Dali had a great interest for the world of fashion. His meeting with Coco Chanel inspired him to design clothing 鈥 such as the costumes for the theatrical piece, Bacchanale, and for the opera, Tristan Fou. In 1950, he created the special costume with drawers with Christian Dior.
VR庐庐 and art are indissociable. Plain and simple, artwear is art you can wear. But to me, it鈥檚 really about tackling the following four points through the prism of Art History: Unique, limited editions, each item/drop numbered up until 21; Personal, the consumer鈥檚 initials emblazoned on the garment; Premium, affordable street couture with irreproachable quality; and Non-Fast Fashion, incorporating timeless aesthetics. There are strong storylines and underlying narratives in each piece. As for our 鈥渓ucky number 21鈥, it鈥檚 been the guiding number for the brand.
A: How are VERYRARE pieces made? What materials and processes do you use? What do you mean by ‘goodie galore鈥?
RR: I use fabric as the blank canvas for my art. Having founded VERYRARE in March 2020, I went straight to cut and sew, high-end manufacturing with premium techniques. I wanted to mix street and couture, with a museum twist. The aim was to make art wearable and democratise what鈥檚 otherwise unaffordable. I鈥檓 sourcing fabric from all over the world and collaborating with fellow textile associates in France, Portugal, Turkey and China. I鈥檓 always on the chase for the best in terms of quality, durability and rarity/originality. For instance, this year I鈥檝e been really loving the jacquard fabric. I do crewnecks and hoodies with woven tapestry 鈥 something that鈥檚 been done since the dawn of time. Examples include Bayeux, Gobelins and Dutch tapestry. Recently, we invested in our first-ever flagship in Paris.
When it comes to the idea of the 鈥榞oodie galore鈥, I was dissatisfied with the current ways brands serve their customers. 99% of the times you order from the internet or in a shop, you only get what you pay for. The VERYRARE 鈥榞oodie galore鈥 makes you feel like it’s Christmas every time you buy from us. It鈥檚 an unboxing experience unlike any other; it鈥檚 art. It鈥檚 more than just fabric.
A: Many people are moving away from fast fashion, instead opting for more sustainable options. How does VeryRare fit into this narrative?
RR: I was recently appalled by a recent study showing that fashion purchases are worn just seven times on average before being discarded. This statistic exposes fast fashion and the 鈥渂arely-wear鈥 culture. I transcend this with VR庐庐, flipping the script towards better ways of thinking. I don鈥檛 sell clothes anymore, I sell art. These are ultra-limited statement pieces, named and numbered (21 editions/drops max), for your next 50 washes. It鈥檚 stuff your grand-children will be able to wear proudly. It鈥檚 also for these reasons that I wrote the VR庐庐 manifesto. These are rules that I promise to stand by. The main principles are quality, rarity, singularity and sustainability.
A: What have been your favourite VERYRARE designs to date?
RR: My newest collection features a statement piece which channels the power of Cabanel鈥檚 artwork, Fallen Angel. The painting is just so powerful. The quiet fury and resentment in the subject鈥檚 eyes, the single tear for his loss, his hands clasped together in an effort to control these intense emotions鈥 This VR庐庐 statement piece also draws parallels with our era, where many of us can barely contain our anger in the aftermath of world events.
A: What is your vision for the future?
RR: I want to change how people view a piece of cloth 鈥 how they assign value and meaning to it. I want them to feel (and know) that they鈥檙e not alone; that they鈥檙e part of this large family of doers and DIYers. You look at the greatest streetwear designers, and they stand by the same principles as me. They all paint a cohesive story with their work, substantiated by experience and credibility. To me, it鈥檚 never mattered how financially viable an idea might be, how popular a brand gets in the mainstream, for whom the blogs are shouting out. After the hype dies, it’s the emotional repercussions that bestow a legacy. It reminds me of a Maya Angelou quotation: 鈥淚鈥檝e learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.鈥
With VERYRARE, I鈥檓 heralding the second wave. I鈥檒l resolutely make popups happen; there are some festival partnerships in the planning that I can鈥檛 disclose for now. We definitely need more IRL interaction, and I intend to deliver. Since I dabbled in the events industry during my undergrad years, I鈥檇 love to host some type of VR庐庐 boiler room. I鈥檇 love to create absolute art installations that evoke peace of mind, joy and happiness 鈥 intersecting fashion with music in perfect harmony.
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Image Credits:
1. 漏Raf Reyes
2, 3, 6, 7. 漏Thomas Spault @8po.lls, VERYRARE 2021 S01 Lookbook, Lullaby Collection.
4 & 9. 漏Oscar Dubois @oscar_dubois, Raf鈥檚 Bathroom.
5.聽漏BlkCandy, 2020.
8. 漏Oscar Dubois @oscar_dubois,聽shot @Gismondi Gallery (20 rue Royale, 75008 Paris).聽
