Luar shows Raul Lopez still has his edge

Fans of Raul Lopez from his Hood by Air days wondered what the designer would do next after he left the brand he designed with Shayne Oliver. This season at New York Fashion Week, Lopez showed us he's back and better than ever.

His spring/summer 2018 womenswear line for Luar (his name spelled backwards), was presented at Factory 8 with a fierce runway show where models strut lightning fast down the runway.

This season, his design inspiration was the woman who knows how to keep it classy, but is also a total power woman. She isn't afraid to dominate, and doesn't let anyone tell her what to do. She's the type of woman who is in touch with their hyper masculine side, on a power trip, and looking for revenge on any man who has tried to make her feel ashamed.

Luar ushers us into a new era of streetwear for New York Fashion Week

The color palette was very heavy on neutrals, including brown, creme and black. That didn't mean that a single thing was mundane though, far from it.

Lopez left parts of the body exposed with deconstructed drapery and near shapeless silhouettes that hung off the models bodies. A cinched-waist camel overcoat was a fresh take on how to emphasize a woman's figure.

Luar isn't the kind of brand ever intended for the mainstream, rather their market is that underground new wave urban streetwear for the new era of club kids and the street style stars that photographers live and die for during Fashion Month. His total womenswear collection of 18 looks was an homage to the boss lady who can strut through the streets of New York with that "don't mess with me" attitude in high fashion style.

That streetwear chic girl has found her new must-have brand.

Photos: courtesy of Akram Shah