STYLE CRÉATEURS For those who haven’t heard of it yet, Mother is the coolest of all Californian denim labels, known for its precision cuts and singular brand vocabulary (with styles designated “Stunner,” “Rascal,” “Dutchie”…). Its founders, Lela Becker and Tim Kaeding, chose the launch date of their new capsule collection, “Mystical,” to coincide with the most powerful astrological alignment of the year: the Lion’s Gate opening in Leo on August 8. In preparation, they hosted a desert retreat in Joshua Tree National Park—two days of stargazing, getting in touch with nature and meditating on our spirit animals with the help of a shaman. There’s nothing cynical in Mother’s approach—just a flair for style and humor. As exemplified by one of their bestsellers: tie-dye socks labeled “Mother” on the right and “F***er” on the left, conceived to accompany their distinctive jeans, trippy sweat- shirts and celestial tees. When they started out in 2010, Lela and Tim decided to do things differently, relying on local production, cultivating tongue-in-cheek irreverence and celebrating indi- viduality. Today, after just nine years, the label is a phenomenal success—which Lela and Tim leverage to raise awareness for worthy causes, including women’s and LGBT rights, medical out- reach programs and campaigns to combat harassment and HIV transmission to newborns. A brand that cares! As though trying to be the perfect mother… AIR FRANCE MADAME / 127