How VAQUERA Is Taking Punk to Paris
Patric DiCaprio and Bryn Taubensee are bringing their subversive fashion to new heights, balancing artistic rebellion with savvy commercial moves.
What does “punk” even mean anymore? It’s not safety pins and ripped jackets—the overplayed clichés. Punk is about transgression, defiance, and rewriting the rules, which is exactly what VAQUERA, the indie darling led by Patric DiCaprio and Bryn Taubensee, has been doing since day one. “VAQUERA is punk, but not in the old-school way,” says Taubensee. “For us, it’s about looking at the world, having issues with it, and responding through artistic expression—not slapping chains on black leather.” DiCaprio adds, “It’s about new forms of subversion.”
Since launching in 2013, VAQUERA—which means “cowgirl” in Spanish—has been breaking molds. What started as a collective of four—DiCaprio, Taubensee, Claire Sully, and David Moses—evolved into two. In 2022, with the backing of Dover Street Market and Comme des Garçons, they took their game from New York to Paris, where their shows are now a must-see mix of raw energy and avant-garde concepts balanced with wearable, real-world pieces. “I still admire Patric and Bryn’s punk spirit, which stands out in Paris even more than it might in New York,” says Nicole Phelps, global director of and . “At the same time, they make great foundation pieces, like unique jeans and cheeky tees.”Julia Fox, a longtime fan, knows firsthand how the brand delivers. “Every time I get a compliment on my outfit, I’m always wearing VAQUERA,” she says. One of her favorite looks? A white distressed leather outfit paired with her Marilyn-blonde hair and a sailor hat at a Knicks game—an ensemble only she could pull off.As DiCaprio and Taubensee prepared for their buzzy Spring/Summer 2025 show, I sat down with them at Dover Street Market’s Paris HQ, where fittings were in full swing. We talked about their journey from underground New York to the big leagues in Paris, and how they remain the transgressive outsiders fashion desperately needs.
How did the two of you meet and are you friends IRL?Why did you go to New York to pursue fashion in the first place?
DiCaprio: We met while assisting the stylist Avena Gallagher—our fashion . Bryn was doing a better job than me… I was like, “Who is this girl who’s so cool, talented, and put together?” I had already started VAQUERA for about a year, and it was exhausting doing it alone, so I texted Bryn one day to see if she wanted to work together.Taubensee: I got the text at a party on my birthday! It was an exciting opportunity. We’re friends, and we spend a lot of time together, like practically all the time. It wouldn’t work if we didn’t get along well. We love what we do and we love each other—it’s a family vibe.DiCaprio: I’m from Alabama, Bryn’s from Indiana—not stylish places. I had this fantasy about New York where I’d get there and all of my dreams would come true. We were disappointed by the industry and its obsession with making money.Taubensee: For people who aren’t from New York, it looks so appealing from the outside. But everyone’s just out here to earn a living, it’s not about an artistic expression.
Has VAQUERA’s ethos changed since the beginning?Without financial backing, it’s expensive and near impossible to maintain a brand—how did you manage it?
DiCaprio: We’ve been through a million versions of VAQUERA. But we love chaos, passion, and stirring things up. It’s about creating clothing with emotion and fantasy. We’ve always felt like outsiders in this world, so we create our ideal reality and unite with people that see the world in the same way that we do.Taubensee: It felt more like a passion project when we started out, and we often reminisce about our clubhouse era where everyone was just having fun and making what we individually wanted to make without thinking about the total vision of the collection. At a certain point we realized we wanted to develop the brand into a business. But the core remains the same.Taubensee: We were always hustling… We both had second jobs. I was a caterer and Patric worked in a thrift store.DiCaprio: We don’t come from money. We had a fake investor at one point who tried to scam us and ended up going to jail… We’ve been through some stuff. But then we started to receive support from DSM and Comme, which allowed us to quit our second jobs and focus on VAQUERA. This helped us create structure and give the brand legitimacy—it was a huge turning point. And thanks to DSM, we got the opportunity to start showing in Paris in a big way that doesn’t break the bank.
And now you’re moving to Paris.Why does the brand make sense in Paris, do you think?
Taubensee: Yeah, we’re planning to fully move next year. We’ve been talking about it for years, and now it’s finally happening. All we do in New York is work in our studio, and the city is becoming uninspiring and unaffordable.DiCaprio: Paris gives us the chance to show in a way that feels right for the brand, as if we were in the ’90s. It’s also really nice here, outside of Fashion Week, and we have lots of friends, so it’s easy socially.DiCaprio: It feels like the big leagues and it opens us up to the world in a way that’s beyond Instagram fodder. We’re a business and this is our artistic endeavor, so it’s important for us to be taken seriously.Taubensee: Our sales are definitely getting better. And our presence here has allowed our audience to grow in a way we had never imagined. We also see more people wearing VAQUERA in Paris than we do in New York.
What is it like being an American doing fashion in Paris?Tell me about the SS25 show and its inspirations.
Taubensee: We’re in Paris and are inspired by the city, but we feel more American here. This is definitely something we talk about often and we’ve made entire collections about this.DiCaprio: We’ll always be doing something about the American dream and the weird tension that’
What are some moments that you’re excited about?Making money is a good thing, but making clothes that people can wear is also important.Doing crazy for attention is cringe anyway.
Taubensee: We did a custom fabric this season, which we don’t do too often, where it’s an upscaled version of an ’80s chain scarf print, which we placed onto oversized dresses and skirts, as well as spandex bathing suits, which we’re doing a capsule collection of with SSENSE.DiCaprio: We’re also expanding into eyewear this season—we’ve made sunglasses and they’ve turned out really well. We’ve also made some shoes, which I tried on for the first time 30 minutes ago and am still wearing now as we speak. The denim range is also really good. The problem we’ve had in the past is that we’ve felt like we always needed to reinvent the wheel. This season, we’re celebrating our brand’s codes and trying to make them feel new, but not necessarily starting from the beginning. We had meetings ahead of making the collection where we wanted to discuss how to streamline the business and make things easier for ourselves, and be commercial without selling out.Taubensee: Exactly, and I feel like it took us a really long time to realize that. For awhile we were thinking more like: fuck fashion, fuck everyone, this is dumb.DiCaprio: But now we see that making commercial clothes doesn’t have to mean making basic T-shirts and jeans. In some ways, going more commercial this season, which I think we’ve aced, is the most punk thing we could do—it’s something people don’t expect from us.DiCaprio: It’s so annoying. I see so many of these gimmicky shows that come across so cheesy. I think it’s fine when you’re starting out to do something wild and to have fun—we certainly did—but it’s just not where we’re at anymore.Taubensee: We avoided forcing anything this season, like making a statement look that everyone’s going to reshare. If you’re not feeling it, don’t force it.
Who has been amazing to see wearing your designs over the years?Where do you go in Paris on your days off?
Taubensee: Rihanna is definitely the most exciting. We’ve been told by various sources that she really has an interest in the brand. It’s insane because she’s influenced us for over ten years and to hear that we’ve also influenced her is a mind fuck.DiCaprio: One time, she came into the Opening Ceremony store and picked out this weird toga dress I made for Spring 2017 that’s practically impossible to wear. It’s exciting when a stylist dresses someone in our clothes, but when a star like Rihanna comes and picks something out to buy for themselves… an honor.DiCaprio: We love going to the Sacré Coeur steps in Montmartre. You should go, it’s fab. You might get your phone stolen or whatever, and it’s super touristy, but it overlooks the whole city and it’s so beautiful. People get their wedding picture taken there and there’s guys playing Coldplay covers on their guitars. But it’s nice to sit there with a beer and watch people.Taubensee: There’s something about the cheesy music and tacky vibe that makes it really cool and fun. We love it there.
