High Fashion’s RHUDE AWAKENING | Rhuigi Villaseñor Redefines the New Rules of Luxury

Photo Courtesy Instagram @rhuigi

Probably my favorite era of fashion was the early 2000’s, I mean who can forget Beyonce’s velvet dress from the 2005 Oscars or Justin Timberlake’s 2001 all denim look? Okay maybe not the denim on denim but some of the most iconic looks from the 2000s, good and bad, are imprinted in my mind as if it were yesterday. I would see athletes, musicians, and celebrities, all effortlessly looking so stylish and I would ask myself “How do I dress more like them?” The answer was simple, I needed to shop where they shopped. If we took a snapshot of early 2000’s fashion, both celebrities and fashionistas were rocking the big brands like Rocawear and Sean John which some might remember were owned by Diddy and Jay Z. So in reality we were being influenced and styled by the legends of the hip hop industry. 

Fast forward 20 years to 2020 Paris Men’s Fashion Week for the Spring/Summer collection and the debut of the hottest clothing line in streetwear fashion, RHUDE. Well if Jay Z birthed Rocawear and Diddy cultivated Sean John, who is the style genius behind RHUDE? I would like to introduce to our Kollective Hustle family, Manila born and raised designer and entrepreneur, Rhuigi Villaseñor - the 30-year-old founder of luxury lifestyle and streetwear brand RHUDE (among others) and newly appointed Creative Director for famed swiss fashion house, Bally, who is known for fusing nuanced luxury with Angeleno grit and birthing the new American Dream when it comes to his style, philosophy and work ethic.

At age 11, Rhuigi Villaseñor and family uprooted from Manila and moved to Los Angeles, California. Shortly after graduating high school, Rhuigi studied art history and was an understudy/intern to Shaun Samson. The creative vision of RHUDE is described as “both a reflection of modern socioeconomics and personal stories” from the eyes of Rhuigi. Blending American iconography with nostalgic references, RHUDE is a visual commentary of Los Angeles style and culture.

Photo Courtesy Instagram @rhuigi

Forbes paid homage and explained Rhugi’s beginning home runs perfectly: “His first design hit was a $200 cotton t-shirt printed with a black and white paisley bandana pattern that tapped into hip hop's attraction to West Coast Chicano culture.” which was the launching point to his nostalgic reference, especially when Kendrick Lamar wore it for the BET Awards on national TV. Not only does Rhuigi inject his LA culture into his clothing but his Filipino heritage as well. In an interview with Yahoo, Rhuigi sheds a little light about what goes into some of the details of his designs:

“Yellow is super prevalent in a lot of the branding, the boxes, in the underbrim of hats. I just feel like it represents me. There’s also a reference to the yellow sun in the Filipino flag.”

With no formal training specific to fashion design, Villaseñor credits his understanding of garments and construction to growing up with a mother who was a tailor, providing a foundation and understanding of how to build each piece and the subsequent stories told with each collection.

Photo Courtesy Instagram @rhuigi

With such an iconic vision for streetwear, Rhuigi has since been a focal point to multiple clothing lines and collaborations. In January 2022, luxury brand Bally announced the appointment of Rhuigi as their Creative Director. Rhuigi sharing his vision for Bally stated,  “I wanted to introduce a new visual language to Bally campaigns, a mix of bold sophistication and sensuality to express my modern vision of luxury.” Moreover, just this past year he released a second collaboration with a favorite retail clothing shop, Zara.

Some might wonder why the jump from luxury high fashion to more affordable cheaper clothes found at the mall? From an interview with Forbes, Rhuigi sheds light on the reason for collaborating:

“When I was a kid and saw everyone getting fly and spending all of this money on clothes, I felt so not a part of it. But it gave me roots to go thrifting, etc. It’s like all the great wines. The best wines come after a really dry spell because it forces the grape to extract extra water from the soil. And if I was a grape, I didn’t have the water sources, so I really had to extract it from the soil.”

But it doesn’t stop with Zara, Rhuigi has even brought his skills to the ice by becoming the creative director for the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes and explains what made him decide to take on a different line of work:

“You go where you’re needed. You need to have a balance. If you look at the 2000s, it was a prevalent time for football, for hockey commercials, and racing. You can now see the curve. And now I’m looking at hockey, and seeing that coming in soon, so why don’t we come in and have that conversation? And here we are and the puck is here.”

It’s clear his gift for bringing personality to fruition through clothes has no bounds. Showcasing his Filipino upbringing and LA style into his pieces, the world has no choice but to sit in awe as he weaves his own story into everything he does. The ceiling has yet to be seen on what this generational talent can accomplish but for now, wear the latest Rhuigi Villaseñor with a smile because one of our own is breaking down all the norms with no signs of stopping.

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Written By Niko Del Rey

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