When Reese Cooper debuted his Spring / Summer 2021 collection in the video “River Runs Through” this past July, it was a stream in more ways than one, bringing Paris Fashion Week into the woods and using an algae-covered brook for a catwalk.
For everyone watching from home, under lockdown in the middle of a global pandemic, Reese’s fashion show felt more like a dream. We all longed for the times when we could hang out with our friends again, and Cooper let us play outside vicariously through his show. Subtle synth keys soundtracked the models as they walked barefoot through the matte green water, revealing the clear water underneath with each step. Friends and onlookers sat on blankets and picnic tables at least six feet away, and the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling broke up the monotony of the PS4 menu music that’s normally playing in my living room.
It was mesmerizing, and it made all the sense in the world given Cooper’s outdoorsy design elements and our inherent yearning for fresh air. One of the most creative pivots the fashion world saw throughout all of 2020, Reese wasn’t even close to being finished.
Next, he unveiled a revolutionary project called RCI-DIY, a sustainable approach to repurposing the increased number of returned orders he was seeing due to the pandemic. The rising star in the fashion world designed pieces but sold them not as finished garments but kits, where his customers could use the included fabrics, patterns, patches, prints, and everything else you would need to bring Reese’s design to the finish line. The idea greatly reduced waste and also showed aspiring designers that they too could make high-end pieces worthy of Paris Fashion Week — or the woods.
Are you spotting a trend here?
Born in Atlanta, raised in London, and living in California, Reese Cooper is blazing a new trail through the crowded forest of fashion, taking processes that have been adhered to for decades (centuries, even) and flipping them on their head, innovating and changing the course of the entire category.
This month, we were ecstatic to provide Reese the opportunity to complete his first-ever collaboration, as part of our Family Style event, Drive-Thru Theater. The concept behind Family Style is bringing the food and streetwear worlds together and creating fun new experiences and products, and we couldn’t think of a better designer to invite to the table.
We paired Cooper with Bludso’s BBQ, the Compton hotspot started by Kevin Bludso that has since also expanded to La Brea. You may wonder what a high fashion designer and an LA BBQ spot have in common but it was really easy for us to see. Both Reese and Kevin use their hands to build their products, finely tuning their process to deliver customers the most memorable experience possible, and they both thrive outdoors. Reese has based his whole brand around working in nature and Bludso got his start outside with a huge tank smoker, which ultimately became the inspiration for the design of the T-shirt they collaborated on.
Reese flew to Los Angeles from New York for Drive-Thru Theater and I caught up with him to discuss all things barbecue and balance. Read our brief conversation in its entirety below.
DUKE LONDON: What was it like collaborating with a restaurant?
REESE COOPER: I had never really collaborated with anyone before. It was fun, though. I treated it how I treat everything. I have a couple of friends I bounce ideas off to make sure I’m on the right track but I design everything. So, I met with their team and got a feel for what’s important to them. I was hoping they liked it because the way I normally work is ‘first idea, best idea’ and if they didn’t like it — fuck. I wasn’t going to do something else, that’s how strongly I felt about the design. But they loved it and it’s definitely one of my favorites, too.
It’s really cool knowing Reese Cooper’s first collab is a barbecue joint in LA.
It felt right.
I’m sure you’ve answered this question a million times but what’s this year been like for you? Everyone is facing different challenges and 2020 has affected everyone in various ways so I just wanted to see how you’ve navigated it all.
It’s been hard. This year is survival of the most agile. I’m imagining a lot of bigger companies were hit harder than smaller ones because they’re small enough to pivot easily. Obviously, a lot of small businesses were affected, but I think a lot of them pivoted and were able to avoid going completely under. The DIY project I did back in April, that was just a quick impulse thing and it helped a lot business-wise. Putting together the show and the video, all super quick concepts. I imagine if I had a much bigger team or more people involved in the approval process, it just wouldn’t have happened the way it did. Coming off the show in January, we had a whole timeline planned for the year, and by March, everything was in the trash can. It’s just been so different from a regular year. It’s all about how fast you can adapt.
That’s been our experience as well, a lot of canceling and a lot of pivoting and getting creative.
What’s been super helpful for us, and I think with you guys as well, is that consumers can tell when you’re having fun. There were a lot of companies I saw who wasn’t doing too well and by March or April, they were having blowout sales or becoming mask companies. It was just easy to see through these people who were pivoting without staying true to themselves. As soon as you’re not having fun with something, everyone feels off about it, too.
Your DIY project was one of the most creative things we saw this year in fashion. How different were all the versions people made?
I didn’t see a single fucking one come back to me looking like the one I designed. It was amazing. That was the best part of it. At first, it was like, cool, they put the patches or prints in different places because I kind of left those up to their preference. But then, people started getting freaky with it, switching out pieces of the fabric or bleaching it or dying the whole thing. Some of them would come back and they just used the pattern as a body template and made their own jacket. It was fucking crazy.
I read in another interview you did that you said, “designing clothes isn’t rocket science.” Do you think the DIY project will help people out there find a new passion for designing?
The reason I started making clothes was looking at things and being like, ‘oh I love this, but I would do this part differently.’ And that was the whole inspiration for that project. I wanted to open the door and help people get this far. And now I hear back from people who now have the confidence to do X, Y, and Z they’ve been putting off. All those little, fun messages that came out of it made it such a good project for me.
Why is it so important for brands big and small to review their manufacturing processes and make them more sustainable?
It’s the only thing that matters, truly. We’re past the point where it’s cool. It’s expected now. And if brands aren’t doing it, then why? Ten years ago, that shit was really hard to do. The tech wasn’t there, it wasn’t accessible, the creativity wasn’t there. Now, it should be expected.
In California, we have such a crisis with our water resources that even a change like using recycled water can make a huge impact considering how many brands are here.
I’m getting so sick of seeing all these new brands popping up and saying, ‘we made the perfect garment-dyed blanks.’ We’re past that, design-wise to begin with, but if you’re starting a whole company now based on dyeing, you’re doing it wrong.
You resist a lot of the long-held traditions in fashion, but you also embrace some of it. How do you view the fashion world right now? How do you engage with it and find that balance?
I play both sides on it because if you’re completely off-tradition, you’re not going to get into the rooms filled with people who uphold those traditions. So, if I can fake a smile and show on-schedule in Paris and go to all these stupid fucking dinners and award ceremonies and talk to everyone who’s pissed off I’m there in the first place, then I’m in and it’s easier to start pivoting to my own stuff. If I was just to show off-schedule and do lookbooks how I wanted to originally, it’s not going to get the same attention or make the same impact. You have to have the platform to use the platform for your own benefit. For me, it’s about finding a balance where I play a part of the game but still do things differently just to show people you can. I’m getting a little more comfortable with the game. You just have to pick and choose your battles.
The show you did earlier this year took place in the woods, with models walking through a stream. While it was unique and profound on its own then, it also took on new meaning with the whole world locked down during the pandemic. Has it taken on new meaning for you?
I think so. The reason it’s impactful to me is that while we were all locked down, the only thing I wanted to do was go swim in freshwater. That was my only thought every morning. My old roommate and I would leave the crib for two hours, drive to this one lake, and I probably went there like six times over the course of two weeks. It was a state park by Lake Piru. When we pulled up, the sign said it was closed but it’s just a sign so you go past it. There were Park Rangers inside and they just said, ‘Morning.’ That time I spent at that lake was the most special part of the year to me. And I wanted to channel all of that into this show.
Were you surprised to see a big fashion house rip off the idea?
[Laughs] Oh yeah. I got about 200 texts when that went up. It’s cool, I’m glad I could inspire them. It’s interesting to know I can impact things that are that large. I go back and forth between thinking it’s cool and thinking ‘go fuck yourself.’ But I can’t really talk about it too much more because we’re in the middle of some private conversations.
At least you know everyone at home knows where the idea came from.
They know, too.
Photos by Stefan Kohli
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