Since RiGBY started in 2019, there has continued to be a metamorphosis in their music. Sonically best defined by their loud, stage-trembling performances that combine riot grrrl style screams and vocal harmonies, RiGBY visually is a dressed up cyclone of flying hair and empowering fem-ware. Their fashion is a DIY blend of formal attire mixed with trademark punk black, with pops of color displayed in small touches like shoelaces and belts. Each member authentically customizes their own spin on the punk genre, most influenced by the riot grrrl movement.
Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began in the early 1990’s in Olympia, Washington. The subculture combines feminism, punk music, and politics. It’s continued to develop and for the punk scene, it serves as an aspiration in which women can express themselves the same way men have been doing all along. The genre addresses and destroys the established image of femininity. The movement has also evolved to include a DIY ethic, zines, art, political action, and activism. For RiGBY, the spirit of that movement is felt in the fishnets, flowy layers, comfort forward, platform boots, piercings, and dresses.
Fay Dunkel, Maude Lorr, Hana Mahli, and Kean Wilwerding surprise an audience for the first time when they take the stage. For many people, that initial moment is a sizing up. They see formal clothes, collars, and cutesy feminine touches. But quickly that changes to thrashing around and screaming, a contrast to the clothing. RiGBY doesn’t wear dress clothes in a dress-up way. They rip, sweat, and thrash their way through a set. For any photographers attending, they leave with a caemra full of fancy hair shots and angsty yelling pics.
The DIY spirit of the band smartly shops at thrift stores instead of higher priced fast fashion places. Knowing the physicality of their show comes into play, finding comfortable pieces that they can move in is important. Tights catch on the equipment, tear new holes in it at almost every show. Dresses rip due to the aggressive movement and stage presence of the always moving group. Thrift stores provide an endless rotation of pieces to use up and chew through. This means big prom dresses, coats, and robes can all come into play, blending a costumey look with punk rock utility.
“I’m gonna go sweat on stage and drop to my knees and usually there’s a rip somewhere at the end of the night. I probably shouldn’t go to Macy’s and buy something new, if I know it’s going to be trashed by the second time I wear it. If something happens, I’ll put a safety pin in it, fix it for the time being.”
— Maude Lorr
The metamorphosis translates to the bands sense of style as well. Hana is quick to share that she hasn’t fully found her own style yet, but is fun because that means you can try different things. A long time ago she took a trip to a thrift store with her sister. They decided to go into the men’s section and tried oversized jeans, sweaters, and old band shirts on. That opened her eyes.
“Fashion can be whatever you want it to be. I tried on on different things that day that completely opened doors to understanding you don’t need to shop in just one section of a store,” Hana shares.
Maude has gone through a couple different phases, starting when she was 7-9 years old when she felt the pressure to be a girly girl and wear pink. She hated pink and wasn’t going to conform to what that traditional ideal image was for a girl. At that time she wanted to play, be on the ground getting dirty. In middle school she started following what other teen girls were wearing, not really having a personal sense of fashion. It was when she joined a music program and started performing that she witnessed her first metal show. They were encouraged to dress up, which lead to getting a leather jacket. She began to realize that sometimes you can wear a costume and turn it into your outfit.
“I think being able to perform gives you an excuse to wear things you wouldn’t typically wear. It’s brought me back into wearing fem stuff and realizing that just because it’s considered girly doesn’t mean I can’t do all the things I want to do,” Maude states.
Fay found her sense of style when she transitioned. Before that, it was a lot of dissociating, wearing hoodies, and feeling out of place in clothes. She also started with self piercings when she moved out for college. The septum ring being a larger piece that she personally redid because it was done poorly.
Hana imagines her thrifted pink coat being worn by a grandmother, the soft texture and silk inside wrapping around her. She found it at Everyday People. Her pants were found in Florida, mistagged, stating they were short and a wrong size. She sized them up and after trying them on, scored a 70% off deal.
Originally her Aunt’s belt, the hippy colored piece was gifted to her. Her aunt had seen pictures of RiGBY and knew that belt needed to be seen on stage. The sparkly shear top was a Goodwill find. The black lace bralette top providing the fem touch.
Her 7 year old charcoal gray Doc Martin’s have long since been discontinued, but she loves how in certain light they appear purple and black.
Continuing on the Doc Martin theme, Fay also strings her black pair with custom purple laces. The ladder lace (strait-laced) is seen in 3 of the band members and helps to remove and put on shoes without untying them.
The pink top was a thrift store find and the pants were a birthday gift from her mother. But the biggest piece of her outfit is the pink hair, which her mother loves to do because they use the time to sit and talk. Besides self piercing, Fay also cuts her own bangs.
“I started wearing slim fitting jeans when I got into punk music because you’d always see Joe Strummer, Sid Vicious, and all those guys wearing them.”
-Kean Wilwerding
As with drumming, Kean’s look solidifies the rhythm of the band in using the purveying base color the most, black. His button up collared dress shirt with rolled up sleeves conveys a punk, yet classy vibe.
His boots are more matte black instead of shiny and are from Vegetation Shoes. The black slim fitting pants are from Goodwill. His flare comes in the form of a chrome fidget spinner ring that has already stopped spinning and his key chain clipped to his side.
The Descendants drum tuning key and Swiss Army Blade are the most useful pieces on the chain. Although the knife is in constant replacement mode. He has a lot of family in Canada and forgets to take the knife off before the airport each time. So TSA is responsible for always needing to buy another small knife.
Maude’s staple piece for most shows is a slip dress, often found at thrift stores for $7. The sheer coat was found at Everyday People and feels like it’s something her grandma would own. Her platform boots are from Demonia Cult and add height to make her feel powerful. She also shares it helps with her posture, making her stand up straighter. Due to constant use, the boots are coming undone in the back, held together by shoe glue.
Since Maude has a tendency of losing things at shows, she doesn’t invest in fancy jewelry. One of the thick rings doesn’t slip off anymore because she broke a finger and can’t get over the bump. Her grandma passed away a couple years ago and in going through her stuff, jewelry was passed down to the siblings. She recently picked it out and now wears it all the time.
One of the songs that sticks out on the debut release We’re Dying is the track “Shoulders Are Sexy.” Written as a mix of a couple different situations, the song deals with the way women are perceived. The breakdown includes a spoken word part telling the story about being in class and having a guy ask her to put on sweater because he’s distracted. The chorus echos the sentiment of the quandary that many young women deal with. The double standard different genders have and the ability to be confident in what you wear. The song, wrapped up in riot girrl dressing, is a powerful statement to fashion and what that movement really pushes to change.
“They tell us to be confident
But judgment will be clouded
We said you should feel pretty
But be careful what you wear
Because we'll teach you how to cover up
Before we teach them not to stare”
-Lyrics to “Shoulders Are Sexy”
RiGBY are set to embark on their first tour starting in Duluth on July 14th and ending in Portland on July 23rd. The 7 show slate will conclude with a hometown gig at 7th Street Entry on July 31st. It’s another phase and evolution of a band that stands (with impeccable posture) on the values they believe in.
“Because younger fem people are showing skin that means a guy says something to you, then maybe you shouldn’t have worn that? I’m going to wear this dress in fishnets and if a guy says something to me, I’ll still beat the shit outta him. People are gross no matter what you’re wearing, so why not be confident in how you look,” Maude shares.
Check out the links below for ways to follow RiGBY and all the things we mentioned above.
RiGBY We're Dying - Instagram - Everyday People - Vegetarian Shoes - Demonia Cult - Riot Grrrl
