Mother-daughter artist duo Aline Kominsky-Crumb and Sophie Crumb created an original comic piece, “4 Shades of Abortion” (2021), for Grover Rad’s reversible full-length silk opera coat. All pieces are made in Los Angeles. PHOTO BY LISSETTE EMMA/COLLECTION
Pairing inspiration from the headlines with beautifully tailored classic silhouettes, new L.A.-based clothing line Grover Rad is here to get the conversation going.
Grover Rad’s silk chiffon trapeze dress is printed with an illustration of Hester Prynne by Mary Hallock Foote from the second edition of The Scarlet Letter PHOTO BY LISSETTE EMMA/COLLECTION
If Lizzie Grover Rad were summed up in one word, “bold” would be an apt description. The L.A.-based entrepreneur raised $20 million to launch a successful tech-driven interior design brand while still in college at George Washington University years ago, and the Hollywood Hills home she now shares with her husband, Tinder founder Sean Rad, is rife with daring art and statement-making furniture.
Silk wool blazer is embroidered with a quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne from The Scarlet Letter PHOTO BY LISSETTE EMMA/COLLECTION
Rad’s fearlessness can be seen in Grover Rad, the ready-to-wear line she launched earlier this year. Currently consisting of a 15-piece collection of beautifully tailored made-in-L.A. items, the directto- consumer line’s design direction takes cues from what’s happening in the world. “I don’t see myself as political, but I like the idea of bringing a message of social justice to garments and treating clothing like art,” she explains. “It can communicate a voice and an opinion, and you can use that as a form of expression.”
PHOTO BY TIJANA DRNDARSKI/UNSPLASH
Rad, who names Vivienne Westwood and “the controversial Jean Paul Gaultier” as her ultimate designer icons, focused this first collection on reproductive rights, drawing inspiration for several pieces from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. A silk and wool blazer is embroidered with a quote from the novel, while a stunning red silk chiffon trapeze dress is covered in a print of protagonist Hester Prynne, pulled from an illustration etched in the novel’s second printing. Rad collaborated with the family members of famed cartoonist R. Crumb, commissioning Aline Kominsky-Crumb and Sophie Crumb to create an exclusive comic strip that documents their abortions over five decades; that print is featured in a reversible full-length silk coat. “I called the Crumbs and they designed the entire comic in 48 or 72 hours,” Rad shares. “It just seamlessly came together.”
Grover Rad founder Lizzie Grover Rad wears a nude mesh top, leggings and a coat from the collection. PHOTO BY ANNA SOKEL
While the prints are daring, the cuts are decidedly timeless. “I wanted to keep a really classic silhouette so that the pieces are forever in style and not fast fashion,” say Rad, an avid vintage collector. “It’s important to think about these pieces standing the test of time. The classic silhouettes will carry that through. And these are incredibly well made—it’s serious craftsmanship that will stand the test of time.”
Rad plans to release two collections a year, and although this first one is more serious in theme, the ones that follow will vary in tone. “I want to make sure there’s a balanced approach with some heavier topics, and then some that are lighter,” she says. “I want to tackle a lot of different spheres.” groverrad.com
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