RIU LEONARDES: GETS MEN IN HIGH HEELS

Rui Leonardes left Portugal, at the age of 17 to study a BA in Mens and Womenswear at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam where he graduated but left for Paris to work for Nina Ricci Homme and then for Jose Levy, under the wing of Hedi Slimane who was then the head designer of the label. Through the experience, Rui decided to further develop his education in fashion, arriving in London to study Footwear and Design Technology at Cordwainers. He went on to complete an MA in Menswear and Footwear at the Royal College of Art where his graduation collection received much press attention, known especially for his feminised footwear for men.

Such was his popularity that he was invited to participate in the “It’s Three” Manolo Blahnik awards in Italy, the Future of Menswear Exhibition in the V&A and receiving commissions to make outfits for the Scissors Sisters and numerous other underground bands. With such an excellent reception, Rui launched the self-titled label in September 2005 and in February 2006, he was invited by On|Off to exhibit at London Fashion Week.

Rui reckons himself as a designer of contradiction, blurring the boundaries of rational and chaos, peace and mayhem, masculine and femininity. Clothes play the medium for him to project his provocation to the audience. His designs reek rebellion and aggravation. Contradictions are rampant in his unconventional tailoring methods, usage of fabrics and his adaptation of male/female features in garments like the tight fitted leather trousers with a skewed and chunky exposed zipper fly that looks severely butch but with attached heels at the hem of the garment makes it oddly elegant. Traditional tweed fabric constructed like tuxedo trousers give a masculine silhouette at the pelvis only to be cut off and matched instead with sweatshirting fabric so that it ruches and tapers. The collection also features his renowned bespoke hand crafted men’s shoes where black patent leather winkle pickers and sharp toe boots are finished with spiked heels.