Follow along the designer behind Luar at MECA Art Fair in the Dominican Republic through iPhone flicks and favorites.
Born and raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Lopez finds himself tracing inspiration back to his Dominican culture. His designs for Luar, which have been worn by stars: Lizzo, Ayo Edebiri, Trace Ellis Ross, Kiki Palmer, Doja Cat, to name a few — tribute his Caribbean roots while celebrating the crossover between street style and elegance. Lopez spent the past month going through his camera roll and curating a selection of his favourite work for Elephant.
“I’m obsessed with this artist who’s inspired by forgotten traditions and spirits eradicated by colonisation. Santa Marta La Dominadora — patron saint of cooks, homemakers, and domestic workers — is a saint used to evoke her spirit for many purposes. I saw this statue a lot growing up, and now, seeing it displayed as a prize procession speaks so much to my inner child. I love when sculpture does that for me.”
“Franz Caba is a queer artist, one of my favorite emerging artists from Dominican Republic. Inspired by his upbringing in DR, when I look at his work, his strokes, his story telling, I can right away identify and see myself in the painting. I can see his world through my own eyes, it triggers so much nostalgia from traveling from the US to DR. He’s one to look out for.”
