During a recent outing in Las Vegas, Spanish singer-songwriter and actress Rosalía was photographed wearing what may just be the most viral latex outfit of the season so far. Branded the ‘naked dress’, the semi-transparent latex garment has garnered worldwide attention and caught the imagination of both latex fashion fans and design houses across the globe.
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But just who is the designer behind this incredible and conversation-starting outfit, and what became the inspiration behind this garment? Join us as we speak to Monique Fei, the incredible London based designer behind this must-have dress.
“I work with latex, crochet and knitwear to create meticulously handcrafted garments. I make clothes to tell stories. They transform their wearer into characters.”, Monique tells us as we kick off the conversation and, with those few words, the passion for what the designer creates instantly comes across and is projected into the discussion. This ‘transformative’ appeal is a common explanation for why so many people have embraced latex clothing over the decades, and in particular the last few years. It is clearly this sentiment which drives Monique Fei to create and to expand her repertoire, and this is further highlighted as the conversation continues.
Monique Fei is a French designer and artist working at the intersection of craft, couture, fashion and performance. A 2022 graduate of Central Saint Martins with a BA in Textile Design specialising in Knitwear, her work merges crochet, knitwear, and latex into meticulously handcrafted, wearable sculptures that challenge conventions of form, material, and identity.
A pivotal influence on her craft came during her time in Shanghai, where she worked at the French Consulate’s cultural department and connected with a community of Ayis (independent elder women) who introduced her to crochet. This encounter sparked a lasting passion for yarns and hand techniques, infusing her work with autobiographical elements, history, and a deeply embodied sense of time. Fei’s dedication to slow, labour-intensive processes echoes her commitment to sustainability, often incorporating unconventional materials like wild rubber, hand-spun lint, and even dog hair.
With the launch of her self-titled latex clothing brand, Monique Fei has quickly become known for its distinctive material research and surreal narratives. Through performances, sculptural garments, and fantastical characters, she creates immersive worlds that oscillate between desire and abjection, fantasy and humour. Though rooted in personal themes such as femininity, family, and sexuality, her work transcends norms to craft new myths and performative fantasies.
This unique practice redefines materials traditionally linked to sensuality and fetishism – particularly latex – through fine art techniques, experimental costuming, and sculptural construction. By combining latex with knitwear, Monique Fei manipulates opacity and silhouette to explore themes of body perfection and sexual identity. Her approach celebrates altered forms, subverting notions of conformity and sensuality into bold self-representation.
Her work has been featured internationally at galleries such as ICA (London), Bourse de Commerce (Paris) and Hamburger Bahnhof (Berlin), and has staged performance-based runway shows during Paris Fashion Week in 2023 and 2024. She also collaborates with prominent artists and performers including FKA Twigs, Chappell Roan, Jennie, Lily McMenamy and Caroline Polachek.
Monique Fei is, in her own words, a “glamorous spinster” with a knit fetish, crafting worlds where yarn and rubber meet in playful, transgressive intimacy.” Having followed and studied her work for a number of years, it’s fully clear to see how these principles have been with her throughout her prosperous career.
“Latex clothing has this incredible transformative power.”, there’s that ‘transformative’ word once more, she mentions. “It can turn you into any character whether it’s a sexy mechanic escaping a quirky petrol station or a badass gambler attending a glamorous night in Vegas. I design for anyone who wants to be sexy in a playful way.”, the atelier owner explains to us as her drive and zeal continues to be expressed. “Latex helps the wearer feel confident, it gets you into character and helps telling a story. I love seeing how my work adapts to its wearer. The possibilities are endless.” Amen to that!
Whereas some brands produce on a large scale, Monique prefers to create unique and though provoking pieces. “I produce and sell very small quantities of pieces, all hand made in my atelier in London. Most of the pieces I make are one-of-a-kind archive pieces created for the purpose of the fashion-performances I organise and later available mostly for rental.”, an approach which clearly helps to fuel the designers creative passion.
And what about that viral dress worn recently by Rosalía?
“Rosalia’s dress was inspired by a piece my mum got a few years ago!” tells us as the conversation moves onto the recent reveal by Monique and how its inception came about.
“It’s part of my capsule collection, ‘Woke up like lace,’ a collection of latex lace lingerie which I released last November.”, a range which can be discovered on the designers website. “The whole concept was to create a latex dress that defies the usual stereotypes: something that isn’t too restrictive, is actually breathable, and can either be worn on its own as a daring ‘naked dress’ or layered with the latex lace lingerie from the same collection.” Monique explains to us.
“Rosalía’s team actually spotted a photo of me wearing the top version of the design in that specific shade and reached out to see if I could make the full dress in that same translucent cloud grey.”, the designer states proudly. “Working with them was an absolute dream; they were so lovely. The collaboration was honestly seamless! She actually bought the dress back in February and was just waiting for the perfect moment to debut it, which, of course, ended up being Vegas!”
With such a clear and decisive concept in mind, it would have been easy to go extreme with design choices and concepts but Monique instead opted for a minimalistic aesthetic direction, allowing the translucent and monochromatic design to speak for itself.
The dress, which has the moniker ‘Cloud cowl neck mini dress’ features a deep cowl neck, much like its namesake. The translucent latex dress, which Rosalía wore with pink underwear, flowed perfectly over the singers hips and was accessorised perfectly with black heels, sunglasses and bag, to ensure that the latex garment grabbed all the attention.
So just how did Monique react when she first saw Rosalía wearing her creation?
“It’s funny to me that this specific design caught so much attention. I’ve spent the last ten years trying to be as experimental as possible with latex, and yet this piece is a relatively simple dress made in the exact same shade as the very first sheet of latex I ever bought!”, an irony which was clearly not missed by the French designer. “I usually work on quite loud and bold statement pieces in which I combine latex and knitwear. I also like to experiment with latex print, I paint with liquid latex to create my own sheets (this is how I originally started working with latex), I discovered latex laser cut during my internship at Lupae in Berlin and developed my own latex lace in 2020. This recent capsule collection was an ode to past research and experiment but in a more toned down and wearable way.”
In a final nod to the wearer, Monique closes off with some final thoughts on the garment. “Sometimes the simplest designs are the most impactful. Plus, I have to say, Rosalía wore it absolutely perfectly. There are only five similar dresses out there in the world, and we won’t be making many more!”
Well we here at Latex24/7, hope for more incredible designs from her soon.
And, don't forget, for more celebrity latex fashion news, be sure to check out our specially curated celeb latex news section regularly.
