New York label Vaquera is designing a collection based on 'The Handmaid's Tale'

By

Emily Jensen

Published
Apr 28, 2017

The Hulu adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is one of the most anticipated TV launches of 2017. New York City-based design label and fashion collective Vaquera will be capitalizing on that buzz with a new capsule collection inspired by the show.
 

According to Vaquera, Hulu approached the brand with the idea of creating a clothing line inspired by the dystopian novel and TV show adaptation. The TV show, which stars Elisabeth Moss, Samira Wiley and Alexis Bledel, has already captured attention with its characters’ deep red capes and white hoods covering their faces.
 
Vaquera says they were inspired specifically by the use of red in the show and chose to make an all red collection in honor of the story’s symbolism. “Color is very important to the plot of the show because it is used to categorize people based on their physical bodies: The Handmaids are dressed in red, which is a color historically associated with violence, oppression, and sex,” Vaquera said.

The TV show is an adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s acclaimed 1985 novel, which Vaquera says has been a huge inspiration since the brand’s inception. “The novel has been an inspiration since the beginning of Vaquera because [of] its use of visual language to discuss poignant social issues. We are excited to work on something so groundbreaking and timely.”
 
This isn’t the first time the brand has touched on current events in its designs. Its fall collection from the most recent New York Fashion Week included a model wearing an American flag dress that dragged across the runway, in a commentary on the Trump presidency. It also showed pieces modeled off of iconic brand’s logos and imagery, including a model encased in a blue Tiffany and Co bag.
 
The Handmaid’s Tale has already debuted on Hulu, but the Vaquera collection won’t launch until June. The label will show the collection in a piece of performance art in New York City.