HOW HDBNGR RVWR IS SHAKING UP FESTIVAL FASHION
Lexi Williams, the 25-year-old designer, and headbanger behind the startup rave fashion brand “HDBNGR RVWR,” is going to take the festival scene by storm. Born and raised in New York city she has been raving for years and recently decided that I was time to bless the rest of us with some of her awesome designs so we can rage along with her. She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and graduated with a BFA in Advertising design where she focused on illustrator and photoshop, but fashion was always on her mind. She decided to create the HDBNGR RVWR after a chance meeting with one of her favorite artists during his New York show. “It all started with a sweater. It was the first Item I made. The sweater had variety letters and spelled out “Rave Gal”…My goal was to meet Flosstradamus…[and] out of pure luck, I got a chance to…I told him about my brand and my message. He is a huge inspiration of mine. He loved the core values of my brand and encouraged me to stick with it. That was my green light.” The chance meeting was the catalyst that encouraged Lexi not only to stick with the idea but to expand it into a brand.
However, the process of going from an idea and a single sweatshirt to a growing label with multiple items of clothing and accessories on offer was not an easy one. “It’s a lot of trial and error,” Lexi said. “Especially when it comes to the conceptualization and seeing what is in demand…You gotta look at trends and really be in the customer's shoes.” A lot of Lexi’s designs are inspired by her own needs as a raver. This was the driving force behind the creation of perhaps her most iconic piece: the HDBNGR RVWR long sleeve tee shirts (which you should definitely check out). “I am a huge fan of long sleeve tees, especially when they have logos in multiples places [on the shirt]. I thought that the oversized long sleeve was on trend, so I asked myself WWLW (What Would Lexi Wear), and you can only imagine what happened after that,” she said.
Speaking of the long sleeve t-shirts I was interested to learn more about the most iconic, in my opinion, piece available on the site which is the “Not Your Rave Bae” shirt. “I had that [idea] for a while,” Lexi said, “Basically you hear everyone talking about wanting a rave bae…It was kind of a jab at the creepy guy you find at a club or a festival. So, if you weren’t interested in them, you can just point at the shirt.” These shirts are currently the top-selling items in her store alongside the custom bras and varsity letter sweaters. The idea of taking a rave culture slogan and subverting it to create something badass and empowering is just one of the reasons why Lexi is no doubt going to change the game when it comes to what we think of as rave apparel. “The clothes [from HDBNGR RVWR] are comfy and make you feel on top of the world. I hope that’s not too cocky,” she said.
Though a large part of her desire to create festival fashion came from her love of design and raving, Lexi is also incredibly focused on size inclusivity and building a brand that everyone can feel amazing in. As a raver, Lexi spoke about the challenges she initially faces before making her own festival outfits. “I would always be apprehensive about making rave purchases online because I know some brands [and] sizes run small…I always relied on Forever 21 and Fashion Nova for ravewear, which they don’t specialize in. My mother taught me to improvise, and it never leads me astray. She’s one of my biggest inspirations.”
One of the most interest things about the items currently available for purchase on her website is that for the most part, they are all black and white. This caught my eye from the start because the majority of rave brands tend to lean towards loud colors and crazy patterns, so it was almost a shock to see a little bit of stark black and white shaking things up. When asked about this Lexi had this to say: “I’m all about simplicity and I love black and white. For the first wave of design and concept, I’m going to stick to black and white because it just screams at you. It’s minimal, and I love it.” That is not to say she wouldn’t be interested in bringing a bit of color into later designs, but as of right now it is all about the simplicity.
We talked a little bit about some of the pressure she feels come with being a bi-racial, female business owner in a fashion space primarily dominated by non-pop women. “To be honest,” the designer commented, “It can be a little discouraging seeing a specific rave dominating a certain niche. It’s always nice to see fellow black and Spanish business owners like myself.” She cited accounts and brands like Melanin Ravers, Curvy Rave Babes, Rolita Couture, Lethal Spice, and Fatty Cosmetics as signs that this culture might be changing. “I love seeing them do their thing,’ she said, “We all have the same goal; to be heard and to be comfortable in our own skin. I look up to these brands [and accounts] because we are all worthy and we are all on this journey together.”
A common theme in my conversation with Lexi was her appreciation for everyone along the way who has helped her, from friends and family to friends, to even little old me. “I just wanted to give a special shout out to Miranda Pratt, CEO of Our Glitter Gang,” she said, “You’re giving us a platform to be ourselves, and that's truly something special to me. I also wanted to give a shout out to all of my friends and family who have supported HDBNGR RVWR for the embracing message and the inclusion of everyone.” Like many small business owners, family has been such a core part of Lexi’s pursuit of her dream. They have been the support and inspiration she needed to make HDBNGR RVWR a reality. “They [my family] are mostly my models, and that's something that means so dear to me. I would not be where I am today with them. My goal is to make everyone feel included and for everyone to feel beautiful. That's my goal, and I will always be down for my cause.”
We closed up by talking a little bit about some of the things she has planned for her brand in the near future. Though she couldn’t reveal a lot about the things coming in 2019, she did have this to say “I would love to dabble into festival wear for men…but [otherwise] my lips are sealed. There are a lot of good things happening for HDBNGR RVWR that you’ve got to stay tuned for.” I know I don’t speak for myself when I say that we are all excited to see where this label goes in the future. I do not doubt that not only will we see more and more amazing creations from Lexi, but that we will also start to see more and more of her gear at festivals around the country.
