Before launching Luar, Raul Lopez had established himself at the forefront of post-gender streetwear as a founding member of Hood By Air. After a brief hiatus, Lopez is back with his new line inspired by streetwear, vogueing and the club kids that flock to his shows.

Growing up “in a very strict Latino household where men exuded machismo in everything that they said, did, and wore,” Luar is an exploration of “visions that broke [sic] that machismo stereotype.” The Williamsburg-born designer has been designing since the young age of 12 years old and has embraced the community and environment that he grew up in to create an aesthetic that is completely limitless — as in unbound by gender, time or place.

On his upcoming collection, Lopez shared that “this season took me to a place of now, pushing me to explore my current state of mind.” Reflecting on the tumultuous period we find ourselves in Luar’s next collection is a reflection of the chaos.

As he put it, “the good and the bad come together, and it becomes an exploration of what goes on in front of and behind closed doors for the man of now in the mind of Luar.”