Meet the rising designers behind Lady Gaga’s ‘Stupid Love’ looks

Last Friday, the benevolent pop gods above blessed our ears and screens with “Stupid Love” – the long-awaited new song by Lady Gaga. The first single to come from the artist in two years, the track is a clear throw back to Gaga’s early days when she first burst onto the scene back in the late 00s.

With a music video also released alongside “Stupid Love”, naturally, given her lengthy absence, it comes as no surprise that Gaga offers up a feast for the eyes for her little monsters, particularly when it comes to the fashion. 

Set in a crystal-strewn, futuristic landscape, the video sees Gaga and a crew of dancers facing off different tribal versions of each other. With each group differentiated by a set of looks, with groups wearing red, blue, yellow, and green respectively, Gaga wears hot pink throughout, dressed first in latex underwear, before she transforms into a delicate bodysuit and corset. 

Reminiscent of her early videos, where she would be clad in custom Alexander McQueen and vintage Versace, this time around the singer opted to champion a number of smaller, independent brands through “Stupid Love”. 

Ranging from a Parsons graduate to some of her long-standing collaborators, here, we get to know some of the designers behind the looks, as they reveal their inspirations, working with Lady Gaga, and seeing their creations come to life on the screen.

VEX CLOTHING

Gaga enters the video in a punk-inspired alien get up. A hot pink latex two-piece, which is accessorised with a spiked belt, hanging chain, and choker, the look is designed by Laura Pulice of Vex clothing. “I was originally just going to make the red capes,” Pulice explains, referring to looks worn by dancers in the video, “but they wanted some basic pieces for her just in case.” Wearing one of the label’s signature looks, Pulice has worked with Gaga’s team regarding all things latex for a while now, explaining, “I design for her with concepts in mind and with Gaga the sky's the limit,” she says. “That is why she is my favourite celebrity to design for. She will pretty much try anything!”

LAUREL DEWITT

A metallic armour-like piece fitted with a matching bralette and decorated with feather-like detailing is worn for the cover art for “Stupid Love”. Intended to be ‘part punk, part alien, part insect, part futuristic armour’, this look was created by Laurel DeWitt, an independent New York-based label. Hoping to empower women through her designs, which have been worn by the likes of Nicki Minaj, DeWitt said working with Gaga was something completely new. “The mood boards were like nothing I have ever seen before,” she says. “Very specific and new, and a bit weird which is exactly who Gaga is as an artist. She is always pushing the limits in her art and expression.”

KAIMIN

Having worked with Lady Gaga for a while now, KAIMIN is the creative force behind the leather bolero and corset featured in the video. With Gaga’s team reaching out to the New York-based brand, asking the label to create something ‘fun, sleek, and sexy’, Dmitri Pchelintsev, KAIMIN’s co-founder explained: “I designed a fully custom look reflecting the ideas Lady Gaga and her team had.” Wanting to incorporate the video’s themes with the brand’s signature language, this look was designed for “rigidity and structure,” with the metallic pink hue a signalling “strength and emphasis of the female body, keeping things kind but sexy.” 

EZGI CINAR

Worn with the aforementioned bolero, along with a custom head piece designed by Rinaldy Yunardi, is a metallic underwear set, designed Ezgi Cinar. With only 48 hours notice to create the custom look, Cinar was thinking of “modern space and galaxy in a different and cool way,” when designing the two-piece. A Lady Gaga fan themselves, Cinar explains “I was lucky enough to be on set during the recording of the music video. This video shoot clearly stands out as the craziest, most surreal and best experience I have ever made. The result is amazing and I absolutely love it.”

WIEDERHOEFT

Debuted as part of the designer’s SS20 collection, Jackson Wiederhoeft’s ‘THE DRAGON’ piece is the hand-embroidered turtleneck long sleeve leotard and thigh-high socks featured in the video. Having only established his label five months ago, Wiederhoeft listened to Gaga throughout high school, explaining that seeing the singer wear something of his felt like “an incredible way to give back.” “I was bopping to Gaga every day of those formative years when I was figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, who I wanted to be,” Wiederhoeft says. “It's amazing to get to contribute to this artist who has contributed so much to who I am, who gave me the strength to be brave and honest about my dreams and myself.”

Watch Lady Gaga’s “Stupid Love” video below.