When Lizzie Grover Rad first set out to launch a fashion label in 2021, she wanted to create clothing that sparked conversation. An entrepreneur and interior designer by trade (she co-founded the now folded virtual interior design service Zoom Interiors), Rad was disillusioned by the rigidity and lack of risk taking in the design space, and was looking to step away and explore a new medium through which she would be able to initiate difficult discussions. For her first collection, which launched in April 2022, Rad landed on the issue of abortion. “I want people to feel the weight of that word [abortion] and really have a response,” she explains over Zoom from her Los Angeles home, an explicit George Condo painting hanging behind her desk.

To tackle the topic, Rad invited renowned feminist graphic artists, Aline Kominsky-Crumb and her daughter Sophie Crumb to create original comic strips recounting their own abortions which were then printed across dresses and coats. She also drew on historical research, incorporating references to The Scarlet Letter with one boxy blazer emblazoned with the quote, “She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom,” across the back. In addition, Rad, (who is married to Tinder co-founder Sean Rad) is also donating 25 percent of proceeds from the collection to the Yellow Hammer fund — a reproductive justice organization in the deep South. At a time when women’s bodily autonomy is being challenged, the clothing intends to serve as a small form of sovereignty for the wearer.

Moving forward, Rad plans to explore other areas of interest through her design. “I wanted to get a little away from politics and more just [highlight]…