The difficulty of cutting through the packaging is not lost on us. Every day, it seems, the drops are becoming more difficult to unpack and virtually impossible to understand. A box arrives — if you are lucky enough to avoid being sent to a pick-up location — and you open it, only to find a series of Matryoshka tests waiting for you inside. First is another box. Then another. And another. Then a sleeve. A bag. Each one is stamped with its own insignia. When you get to the actual thing you ordered, the fashion object, it’s unclear what, exactly, is in front of you. Is it merch, a limited-run ready-to-wear, an exclusive collection? Even the QR code can’t tell you.
We are drowning in a glut of garments. To say nothing of the waste — more on that later — there are so many sweatshirts, so many tees, so many dad hats. Apparel is the Aperol spritz of the brunch all the brands are attending. Restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, luxury companies, Costco, bars — all make clothes to mark the occasion of, well, their existence. Commemoration is a priori. Even the bootleggers, beacons of egalitarian fun, are feeling the oversaturation. They can’t escape the resale markets, taxonomies, hierarchies either. That guy hawking Clippers jerseys on 11th and Figueroa was always dynamic pricing. Now he’s doing so alongside streetwear pop-ups, furniture sample sales and fashion shows on a disruptor website.
The real thing is hard to find no matter how hard you look and what apps you use. Which is why, in L.A., we place such a high value on letting the senses be our guide. There are myriad ways to cut through the oily sheen of marketing and gimmicks. Our preferred method is by making ourselves available to feel what the clothes are giving.
The third installment of “Image Makers” is a return to the essence. This is a concept album full of The Real’s many manifestations. This isn’t about what is being sold, or resold. Circulation is often nothing more than accumulation and repackaging with no end. Many choose to ride the wave of someone else’s vision or put their spin on a trend that might speak to the hypebeast’s short attention span. Too often, the question when it comes to fashion is “Who all in 丑别谤别?” when it should be: “What is 丑别谤别?”
Essence don’t need no other body, the song goes; it is what it is. When it comes to the fashion that defines us, the clothes must slap. That is: They must say something to us.
Designers communicate through clothes. L.A. style speaks on its own terms, in a language carefully and meticulously constructed, according to a creed born from the lived realities and imaginations of its most faithful practitioners.
The committed bear witness, they ruminate, they envision. They expose the fa?ades of what’s not it and open new realms of what could be through their offerings to the fashion gods.
The Image Makers are clear about who or what they serve. Each piece is in conversation with the very rules they betray. Their textiles are merely mediums through which to transmit from another place. A new world of extreme openness, in a future built from the L.A. that was.
Ian F. Blair Editor in Chief
Image logo by Jake Garcia For The Times
We love a person in a Dickies uniform
There’s a classic feeling to L.A.’s favorite regalia that transcends genre and class. Every time you freak it, you step into a high-fashion world that is all your own Read the story ?A Firmé Atelier suit is the final form of making clothes
Bespoke clothing is not an everyday occurrence in L.A. But for Erik Kim and Paul Um, creating a one-of-one piece is a religious experience Read the story ?Everything Willy Chavarria sends down the runway walks with the assurance of being home
‘No matter what I’m doing, you’ll always know where I’m from, my influences and my culture’ Read the story ????Get your copy
Issue 21: Image Makers
Order nowGroundbreaking design is a start-to-finish process. Goodfight is rigor you can feel
Smart fashion is not about an aesthetic. The brand once called a cross between Comme des Gar?ons and Levi’s knows that it’s about putting something extra on it just for you Read the story ?You can wear clothes and call it art. Or you can rock a painting by Juliet Johnstone
Fashion is a canvas for the designer behind the namesake fashion brand. Her handcrafted works are expressions of her desire to make something beautiful Read the story ?Once you see Little Tokyo Table Tennis in the wild, you can’t unsee it
Chances are you have crossed paths with LTTT somewhere. The fashion brand by Jiro Maetsu is an “unspoken but blatant community” that has exploded from L.A. to the world Read the story ?Iconic is walking a mile on Mulholland
There’s still a mystery and magic to the drive found in everyone’s favorite movie. The cinematic is calling you to pull over Read the story ?The shirt is a vessel. Tap in with Total Luxury Spa
Daniel DeSure’s brand and the artist community behind it are pushing the possibilities of communicating through graphics on clothes Read the story ?Sustainability is the standard, not a niche thing for Leeann Huang
The Taiwanese American artist’s designs are an antidote for a textile industry status quo that just talks the talk Read the story ?Gypsy Sport says hello to the afterlife of Gypsy Sport
Rio Uribe is closing the book on his 10-year-old brand at NYFW. But the GS legacy — flying your freak flag on your back and riding for your community through your clothes — lives on Read the story ?Burberry Winter ’23 in L.A. is a steamy testament to the beauty of juxtaposition
The city of cement and angels loves some contrast. It loves a little industrial chic Read the story ?The headlines claim ‘Baggy Fashion Is In.’ Next time, listen to Street Grandma
Oversized is a lifestyle, not a trend for the brand from the SGV. Its designs are driven by the idea of feeling like you can grow, change and move around in clothing Read the story ?A Gabrielle Schwan crochet masterpiece is neither easily duplicated nor ignored
The multihyphenate artist is finding freedom in trying things for fun, and then mastering them Read the story ?There’s mystery behind someone who’s masked. You’ll understand if you’re ‘Born Worthy’
Artist Jacob Rochester's portait, a subtle homage to the late Spanto, explores the lens of identity but by way of anonymity Read the story ?All eyes are on L.A. this fall. This guide will help you tap into the real
If you need help filling out your September calendar, our curated list of fashion events, parties, pop-ups and launches will get you right Read the story ?9 fall fashion prerequisites for a proper L.A. night out looking for parking
From Loewe’s Toy Over the Knee Boot to Bottega Veneta’s Cotton Patched Pointelle dress, here’s what to covet in September Read the story ?Issue 20
Discourse
Welcome to the New York-L.A. ‘Discourse’Explore the issue
Issue 19
Mission
Architecture as art: Inside Image’s design issue ‘Clearance’Explore the issue
Issue 18
Mission
Presenting ‘Mission’: A travel issue without the travelExplore the issue
Issue 17
Offering
Image is giving…Spring. Inside L.A.’s latest trends, cultureExplore the issue
Issue 16
Interiority
Untold stories. Secret histories. A living archive of L.A.Explore the issue
Issue 15
Diaspora
Restaurants, fashion, art: Image explores L.A. food cultureExplore the issue
Issue 14
Elevation
Why is L.A. so tempted by and obsessed with beauty?Explore the issue