An affinity for art, architecture, and fashion brought designer Lizzie Grover Rad to Los Angeles, where her search for bold, conversation-sparking vintage pieces could soar. "Fashion is a form of communication," says Grover Rad, an avid art collector and enthusiast with a degree in art history. "Why can't clothes make people think just like art?"
Grover Rad's love of the arts, her design sensibility, and her outspoken view on the patriarchy were the catalysts for Grover Rad's eventual eponymous fashion brand, which she launched in 2021. Two collections under her belt—both designed and manufactured in L.A.—Grover Rad's pieces toe the line between eccentric, classic, and controversial. Her first collection (a commentary on reproductive rights and legislation) and her newest, Billionaires In Space (focusing on the current private-sector space race), bring thought-provoking, sometimes polarizing conversation to the forefront through fashion.
While working on her collections at her home studio, the designer prefers comfortable pieces—but not without a sprinkling of unexpected vintage treasures. Her solution to having a bad day? "I put on the weirdest thing I own." Ahead, we chat with the designer about non-routines, getting a rise out of people, and her closet full of anything-but-basic pieces.
Lizzie Grover Rad in a dress from her Billionaires In Space collection.
On Getting Ready:
I'm not a morning person, so I'm not great with morning routines. I work from home, and my team is remote in L.A. It's really about being comfortable. I can't be creative otherwise. Being a vintage collector, Vivian Westwood is one of my favorites— I love her T-shirts and printed and burnout denim. I mostly wear a baggy pair of vintage 501s and a vintage T-shirt. I also like pairing my husband's cashmere sweaters with jeans, so I have this very baggy look with Birkenstocks or sneakers.
If I'm going to a meeting, I'll probably wear a set of some sort— either silk, mesh, or I love a catsuit. I find a matching set or catsuit is the easiest decision to make. I'm also an overalls kind of gal. You can make them super casual or dress them up.
Grover Rad in her home studio.
On Dressing for Her Mood:
My style has gotten more casual in L.A., but Carrie Bradshaw has always been my mainstay style inspiration. I'm drawn to dressing for your emotions, taking fashion risks, and creating unexpected outfits. That's the fun part about getting dressed for me: I like to see people's reactions. I want to keep people on their toes. If I have a bad day, I wear some of the weirdest things, and I find it changes my day. Sometimes I have to remind myself to tone it down. I'm something of a rare breed with my dressing approach.
Grover Rad with her Billionaires In Space collection.
On Empowering Pieces:
The idea of provoking, in general, is precisely my goal. I become empowered by any piece that elicits a response—good or bad. I thrive on that. People have asked me to stop walking so they can read the writing on my clothing—it happens a lot with the plaid coat from our first collection. I've had people write me who have worn it, saying they've never had more people approach them or start conversations. To hear that kind of feedback is so meaningful to me.
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