Anyone who lives with Lucila Safdie [me] knows that in the rare moments she isn’t busy dressing It Girls, from Addison Rae to Rachel Sennott, she’s at the cinema. I first met Lucila in 2022, when her namesake label was still just the name of a young Argentinean woman who happened to be looking for a flatmate. Since then, her brand, shaped as much by Old Hollywood as by Tumblr-era fashion, has grown alongside our friendship.
Just before “girlhood” became a buzzword everywhere, Lucila was already translating the moods of girls on screen into her first collection by referencing Sofia Coppola’s debut short film Lick The Star and The Virgin Suicides. Her love of film didn’t stop there. So far, she’s hosted six screenings at Genesis cinema in East London, part of her film club that’s as much about friendship as it is about female directors and women’s stories. I took my cinephile designer best friend to see The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants because after all, isn’t the SpongeBob movie the ultimate film about friendship?
Marley Wendt: Before we get started, what’s your favorite cinema snack?
Lucila Safdie: It depends on the spot, but here they put M&M’s on the popcorn and it’s heaven. I’m not wild about the snacks at the cinema near our house, so there I go to the shop next door and get Buzz Candy, a can of Diet Coke, and sometimes snus, lol.
Cinema is such an integral part of the Lucila Safdie world. How did you first get into film?
I’ve always loved movies, but I guess when I started high school and chose the film pathway, my interest became much deeper. When I launched the brand, I really wanted to make it about what I loved and not something that felt forced by university tutors. That’s why I called the collection Lick the Star, which is an homage to Sofia Coppola’s first work as a film director.
Since the start of your brand, you’ve created a very cinematic sensibility, for instance through your collaboration with photographer Carina [Kehlet Schou]. In what ways does friendship inspire you creatively?
The brand evolved out of friendship, with all of the girls who were there in the beginning. Working with Carina makes so much sense because we both love cinema, even if sometimes quite different movies. We both love Montgomery Clift though! When you work with someone who really understands you, the result is more interesting.
I also love working with my girlfriends. For instance, when you and I do fittings with Issy [Isabelle Sayer], we’re simultaneously brainstorming and gossiping. Work has to be fun. Otherwise, what’s the point?
You studied film in high school, which feels fitting since both girlhood and cinema are core to your brand. Do you see a direct link between that time and how you think about girlhood now?
High school is when you start to get in touch with your femininity, and at the time I was watching a lot of movies in my room. There’s this feeling at that age that no one understands you, especially your parents. Seeing movies that reflect your worldview is really comforting.
For the Fall 2024 Somewhere Nowhere video, you had me read lines from the scripts of Wanda, A Woman Under the Influence, and Red Desert. What made you want to bring language from those films into the collection?
At the time, I was obsessed with those movies. I was fully in a Monica Vitti and Barbara Loden rabbit hole and totally consumed by the desolate energy they bring to the screen. When it came to choosing references, A Woman Under the Influence also came to mind because it conveys that same feeling.
Your fourth collection, Farewell Princess, takes cues from Old Hollywood and the tragic deaths of blonde icons like Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly. What draws you to that combination of glamour and melancholy?
The stories of Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe capture sadness and beauty perfectly. “Farewell Princess” was a newspaper headline about Grace Kelly’s death, and it struck me as both pretty and sad. I’m really inspired by those kinds of stories, though I don’t know why. Let me ask my therapist.
Are there any current Hollywood starlets you could see as a Lucila girl?
OMG, I just watched Starlet by Sean Baker last week! I love the word “starlet,” and Dree Hemingway is such a Lucila girl in that movie. I’ve always loved Elle Fanning, and I also want to dress Anya Taylor-Joy. She’s Argentine too!
You run Lucila’s Film Club together with producer June [Thompson]. What sparked the ideas to start a film club?
We both love movies and going to the cinema. One time, June took me to a film club that shows 16mm films, and it all started from there. The whole process of going to the movies, buying candy, and getting a Diet Coke is such a fun activity. We wanted to recreate that experience and show films by female directors who influence the brand.
Sometimes you invite me and June into your bedroom to watch chick flicks and jokingly call it your film club. Do those kinds of movies influence you too?
Definitely. I love chick flicks so much. They’re inspiring but also feel like the best kind of brain rot. I love The Sweetest Thing, although I don’t think that one particularly inspired me, haha. Tart (does that count as a chick flick?) is definitely a reference. And Julia Stiles is such a Lucila Girl in 10 Things I Hate About You.
If I remember correctly, The Devil Wears Prada used to be on your Letterboxd top four. What’s on your top four right now?
It was and still is one of my favorites, but right now it’s The Holy Girl by Lucrecia Martel, Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola, Wanda by Barbara Loden, and A Woman Under the Influence by John Cassavetes.
What is next for Lucila’s Film Club?
Going worldwide.
Last but not least, how would you rate the new SpongeBob movie?
Two stars.
