Highsnobiety

Fashion changed in 2020. The impractical, extravagant looks of yesterday, the ones with little value beyond their ability to generate likes, felt suddenly unnecessary, bizarre, in every sense too much. While the rest of us waited to see what’s next, Rhuigi Villaseñor and his team at the LA-based brand Rhude were busy designing the future that we’re hurtling towards.

Like the rest of us, Villaseñor was looking for a silver lining. Fortunately, he found one. “I hate to say this, but we were able to grow the company three times larger,” he says, reflecting on the pandemic paradox that has guaranteed the future of his brand. Where once most of his time was sucked up playing CEO, the pandemic gave Villaseñor the opportunity to reacquaint himself with the life of a creative director and to double-down on an essential lesson from high school: group work is powerful.

The Rhude team finds solace and support in each other, and Villaseñor knows what a tremendous asset this connection represents. It was not only fashion that changed in 2020, but our relationships, too. Part of designing clothing that will resonate with broad audiences is making sure it hasn’t been created in a vacuum. “I ask my guys in production and logistics if [the clothing] is really ready-to-wear, because they have a good sense of what they want,” he says. “It’s a democratic environment.”

On a masked-up afternoon in Los Angeles, we met Villaseñor’s fashion family.

MAIN

RHUIGI VILLASEÑOR, Founder, CEO, and Creative Director: “The culture I’m building with my team is about giving everyone a voice.”

TEAM

SCOTT FORONDA, E-Commerce Special Projects and Logistics Manager: “My earliest memory is working out of the garage where it all started. Clothing racks everywhere. Everything was done by hand. We couldn’t afford trucks for delivery, so we drove samples and boxes from one contractor to the next. I clearly remember learning how to use a heat-press machine to make the original Swarovski tees.”

RHOXY VILLASEÑOR, Office Manager and VIP Specialist: “Rhude makes me feel like I’m part of a secret society. And all they ask for is trust.”

DAVID OLGUIN, Product Development: “We’re all co-workers, but at the end of the day we make sure everyone is OK in their personal life, too. In 2020, I realized that this job isn’t just about making products. It’s a community that, for some, we didn’t have in the past.”

YIRA DIROCIÉ, General Counsel: “I’m amazed all the time at what we’re able to pull off.”

MATT COFFEY, Production Team: “During 2020, we all made sure to keep checking in on each other. Whether that be comparing recipes or going over new workouts.”

OSCAR FIGUEROA, Graphic Design Assistant: “What makes us different is our grind. I’ve never worked with a team so into what they do and so driven to get the job done.”

VERONA TU, Assistant Designer: “Wearing Rhude makes me feel like an icon.”

DEVYN DiSTASIO, Technical Designer: “My earliest memory of Rhude was around the time of the first Maxfield collaboration. I remember seeing the brand on my feed constantly and thinking to myself, ‘Wow, this brand is putting out a totally new vibe.’”

MILES TALLEY, Sample Production Specialist: “Rhude is a lifestyle. Oftentimes, we discuss our customer, or ‘Rhude Boy,’ when designing collections.”

MIKEY MURGUIA, Executive Assistant: “We are tuned into people, and care about what they need and who they are. Where do they go on vacation? Who are their families? What do they value?”

SOFIIA SLYNKO, Womenswear Designer: “Back when I was home in Kyiv, I would see high-profile musicians, DJs, and local cool kids wearing graphic tees from Rhude. I joined recently to work on our brand-new womenswear. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Experience the full story and others in HIGHStyle, a print magazine by Highsnobiety available on newsstands and the Highsnobiety shop now.

We Recommend
  • Image on Highsnobiety
    Coco Gauff Is the Teen Titan Electrifying the Tennis World
    • Culture
  • Image on Highsnobiety
    How HOKA Unintentionally Infiltrated Fashion
    • Sneakers
  • Image on Highsnobiety
    The Guiding Light of Angus Cloud
    • Culture
  • Image on Highsnobiety
    The Next Generation of Entertainers Is Fighting for Its Future
    • Culture
  • Image on Highsnobiety
    Blizzy McGuire's Beauty Lookbook
    • Beauty
  • Image on Highsnobiety
What To Read Next
  • Emily Ratajkowski wears a faux fur coat, crop top, wide beige pants and PUMA Speedcat sneakers in New York
    Craving a Post-Samba Sneaker, EmRata Took the Nuclear Option
    • Style
  • air jordan 2 low christmas
    The Jordan 2 Lows Are in the Christmas Spirit (Kind of)
    • Sneakers
  • pyer moss loot out sale
    How to Feel About Pyer Moss' "Looting" Sale?
    • Style
  • Timothée Chalamet in black sweats and a CELINE cap
    Timothée Chalamet’s Go-To Accessory Is Lowkey Highkey
    • Style
  • shinola
    Behind the Dial With Shinola’s 'The Movement' Series
    • Design
    • sponsored
  • Balmain Ant Kai Unicorn Atlanta launch
    Balmain Brings Its Limited Edition Unicorn Sneakers to Atlanta
    • Sneakers
    • sponsored
*If you submitted your e-mail address and placed an order, we may use your e-mail address to inform you regularly about similar products without prior explicit consent. You can object to the use of your e-mail address for this purpose at any time without incurring any costs other than the transmission costs according to the basic tariffs. Each newsletter contains an unsubscribe link. Alternatively, you can object to receiving the newsletter at any time by sending an e-mail to info@highsnobiety.com

Web Accessibility Statement

Titelmedia (Highsnobiety), is committed to facilitating and improving the accessibility and usability of its Website, www.highsnobiety.com. Titelmedia strives to ensure that its Website services and content are accessible to persons with disabilities including users of screen reader technology. To accomplish this, Titelmedia has engaged UsableNet Inc, a leading web accessibility consultant to help test, remediate and maintain our Website in-line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which also bring the Website into conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Disclaimer

Please be aware that our efforts to maintain accessibility and usability are ongoing. While we strive to make the Website as accessible as possible some issues can be encountered by different assistive technology as the range of assistive technology is wide and varied.

Contact Us

If, at any time, you have specific questions or concerns about the accessibility of any particular webpage on this Website, please contact us at accessibility@highsnobiety.com, +49 (0)30 235 908 500. If you do encounter an accessibility issue, please be sure to specify the web page and nature of the issue in your email and/or phone call, and we will make all reasonable efforts to make that page or the information contained therein accessible for you.