by When Doja Cat posted a series of mirror selfies wearing a handmade denim and faux fur two-piece on Instagram, not many followers would have been aware of the boon she’d just given to one of Ireland’s most exciting designers.
The post, which racked up a cool 1.3 million likes, was pure Doja: quirky, sexy, left-of-field, unique. Someone in the comments called it “yeti fur”. As it happens, it was also pure Rashhiiid, the brand owned and designed by Dubliner Rachel Maguire.
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It would be big enough for Rashhiiid to be seen on Doja Cat in terms of exposure. However, not only did the star wear Maguire’s designs, she wore them, took a photo in them, posted that photo on her main social media feed (meaning it’s a permanent fixture) and plastered the brand’s Instagram handle across the caption. This kind of publicity is something big brands usually pay through their teeth for, and that smaller brands can only dream of.
Her designs have been seen on stars such as Ariana Granda, Vanessa Hudgens and – more recently – Addison Rae.
So, the question on the tip of everyone’s tongue: how? The short answer is, Maguire says, hard work, persistence and luck. The longer version is that the designer had been interacting with Doja Cat’s team for months to no avail, and then the artist came across the designer’s work all on her own.
Unsurprisingly, Maguire has since received an influx of messages from other small brands asking for guidance, to which she responds: “There’s no proper advice when it comes to accessing celebrities as big as Doja. It’s just like, every single thing you do is a building block towards your big moments.”
While this may not have been the answer those brands were looking for, Maguire adds: “Sometimes, when nothing makes sense along the way and when you don’t know why you’re doing certain things, like giving away free hats, you can feel very disheartened. But you’ll never know where that person will eventually find you. They just will, if you’re patient and consistent.”
As it turns out, Maguire may have manifested this into reality: the designer revealed that the inspiration behind her final year collection in Grafton Academy, was Doja Cat herself.
“I’ve never said this to anyone publicly, but I have a jacket in my final collection called the ‘Doja'”, which ended up being similar to the one she would create for the star. The designer adds: “When we were in college, we’d be listening to her album everyday and we’d be singing all the words. While I was singing to her music, I was working on a jacket with her in mind. She was my muse.”
I asked her how it must feel to be professionally endorsed by someone you idolise. Maguire said “I was finally proud of the things I was doing. I think it’s because someone whose art I appreciate and someone who I’m inspired by was appreciating my art”.
Maguire has previously spoken out about influencer culture, frequently posting and condemning her bizarre interactions with influencers who request free items and don’t post about them online. Elaborating further, she added: “It wasn’t just that I finally felt proud of myself, it was the fact that I was justified in expecting more from influencers, it was that I didn’t think someone so humble existed anymore because of what I’ve encountered. She’ll never ever know what she has done for me.”
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On the business side of things, it turns out not much has changed. There was, of course, a rapid increase in social media following – 2,000 overnight, and counting – but things were already moving extremely fast for Rashhiiid. The designer has retail projects coming up in both Ireland and South Korea, as well as in two online concept stores; one based in Virginia and another in Los Angeles.
Interestingly, the biggest change the designer noted has been an emotional one. “It wasn’t even overwhelming, it was like, ‘oh my god, the world is beautiful.'”
“After Doja tagged me so publicly, I just wanted to reply to everyone and try to help those that were asking me how it happened”, she said. “She almost made me want to be a better person, I felt like I had to pass this kindness onto other people.”
Noting the irony, in so far as Maguire’s reputation for speaking out against influencer culture had finally been validated by no less than a global superstar, I asked her how this confirmation had felt. Breaking down the hours she worked on Doja’s outfit, Maguire first estimated she spent the guts of three and a half weeks, before concluding the true amount of work she put into it was actually incalculable.
Due to the designer’s roots in perfectionism, she admitted to tearing up and re-starting countless pieces, determined to send out something she could stand by and be proud of. After hearing this, it’s easy for anyone to empathise with the designer’s opinion on some influencers. Imagine your tireless work being diminished day in, day out by people who may not even post it in return.
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Still, the designer’s take on influencer culture is also nuanced and realistic. She views the relationship between designers and content creators as integral, and circular – each needs the other in order to survive.
“As a designer, without people to promote my brand, I am nothing”, she says. “It’s a new age of advertising, and in order for it to work, we need each other.”
Of course, Maguire added, “like everything in life, some people will always take advantage. You just need to protect yourself and realise when someone’s going to take your work seriously and when they’re not.”
Recognising the importance of sharing her stories with other creatives, Maguire has started a “movement” of sorts. “I used to internalise it, but the danger there is you start to lose the value in your own work. You give out enough hats for free and you start forgetting what they actually cost.”
In concluding her stance on the subject, Maguire’s positivity shone through once again “I’m actually really grateful that it happened to me because it won’t happen to me again. I mean, I literally love that those situations happened to me.
“They’ve only stood to me in the long run.”
– Written by Victoria G. L. Brunton
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