Radar: Rodarte’s Mulleavy sisters win Cooper Hewitt Award
On June 17 in Los Angeles, the brains behind Rodarte—Kate and Laura Mulleavy—celebrated their 2010 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award by grooving to a jukebox at their watering hole of choice. No stranger to the Smithsonian award (they had a quicktake exhibit during Fashion Week last Februrary), the sisters were nonetheless very excited to be considered for the prestigious design award. Laura Mulleavy told WWD, “This is such a big deal because there is always the question… if you approach to design in an artistic way and whether you view your work as art.”
The Cooper Hewitt design award was created in 1997 as a means to honor the best of American design. Continually growing, this year the committee has added three new categories to create a total of 10: landscape design, interior design, and design mind. Judged by 800 of the nation’s most esteemed professionals, from journalists and artists to educators and cultural figures, it’s not an easy task to rate the innovative talent of our ever-growing design world. Speaking of which, the sisters had some tough competition in their contenders for the title: Behnaz Sarafpour, and Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler.
Steadily growing from their start as hip sisters in Berkeley, Rodarte is a testament to keeping your eye on the prize. Laura was also a bit surprised, “It is amazing to have a community you are not always part of recognize your work.”
All the winners will be honored by The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum at an awards gala on October 14 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. First Lady Michelle Obama will be there as an honorary guest.
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