Rhuigi Villasenor Turns Heartbreak Into Clothing Collections

RHUDE Design may have an indisputable bad-ass image, but the garments are all rooted in heartbreak. “People gravitate to sorrows,” says designer Rhuigi Villasenor. “I used clothes as a way to find a channel for my stories.” The SUGARLAND collection, for example, was based on a girlfriend who simply refused to quit cigarettes; in response, Rhuigi crafted an entire collection around using various cigarette brands. MOTORPSYCHO, meanwhile, is based on the designer’s “sweetest memories” of riding on the gas-tank of his father’s chopper growing up “on some real Filipino shit,” but it’s also twisted up in a previous relationship. HYPEBEAST caught up with the designer to talk about going from online pre-orders to Barney’s, his collaboration with OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH and other projects. Listen to the episode in full above and keep up with everything HYPEBEAST Radio and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast or wherever else you enjoy your podcasts. https://hypebeast.com/hypebeast-radio https://anchor.fm/hbrshow https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hbr-show/id1442119868 https://open.spotify.com/show/5fgodorILjAeKCKULoLN3J