Menswear: Best of L.A. Fashion Week

Men took the spotlight during the March 6shy;–15 run of Los Angeles Fashion Week.

Traditionally, the week has been predominantly a showcase for women’s fashion.

But in a season of costume drama, celebutante fashion, emerging designers and red-carpet refinery, menswear was the breakout category. The surge in menswear on the runways in Los Angeles was a reflection of the growth of the category in recent years.

With the premium-denim gold rush over and the $100 embellished T-shirt craze waning, designers are finding ways to channel their creativity into tailored, polished collections with a real point of view. This season, Monarchy Collection presented a denim-based line with cleaned up, tailored military-inspired looks. Suh-Tahn, Orthodox and Endovanera focused on European refinement with less emphasis on following existing trends and more on design integrity. Los Angeles–based magazine Flaunt showcased emerging designers at its “Reap/Sew” event, which featured menswear from California labels Corpus, B. Son and Fremont. And Elmer Ave. rocked the house with its “A Night of Tragic Emotions” runway show. The offerings on the runway were a fraction of the plethora of West Coast men’s lines that have launched in recent years. Among the new resources are Fiber & Fellow, Lova, Shades of Greige, Literature Noir, Apolis Activism, Peligrosa, Cavern, Idol Radec and Podoll. Many California men’s brands also produce women’s lines.

Designer Erik Hart, founder of Morphine Generation, recently launched his eponymous collection with a higher-end focus. Several designer collections also recently added menswear to the mix. MartinMartin launched men’s last year, and Linda Loudermilk added menswear to her eco-luxury collection.

California’s new menswear labels join a coterie of West Coast menswear brands that includes Modern Amusement, Nice Collective, Trovata and Band of Outsiders, a recent finalist for the “CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Award.”

Clearly, menswear has arrived, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.

“Men are becoming a little more sophisticated, said Jason Bates, owner of Derelicte, a multiline men’s showroom in the Cooper Design Space that has carried brands such as Original Penguin and Hause of Howe. Bates has watched the menswear market transition from T-shirts and denim into a more-refined focus.

“Men only can go so far with their fashion,” Bates said. “There are designers that said, ’Oh, wow, you can do fashion but still make it wearable and cool.’”

By offering sophisticated clothing with great fabrics and fit at an affordable price point, these designers are tapping into a market that includes men 18 to 45 years old who are looking for affordable luxury.

“It’s not designer-meets-couture. It’s definitely not going to kill your pocketbook,” Bates said. Retail price points for brands such as Erik Hart are $80 to $650. Orthodox ranges from $90 to $860.

“We feel like people are starting to dress up more,” said James Hammonds, menswear buyer for American Rag. “More put-together looks are selling better than they did for a while. The focus is less on graphics and is now more about fabric and fit.”

Denim is also selling well at the Los Angeles retailer, which opened a denim-focused store, the World Denim Bar, in 2006. Popular brands include Shipley & Halmos, Paul Smith and Play by Comme des Garccedil;ons.

“[Orthodox has] turned into a good brand for us,” Hammonds said. “Guys just love it.” Culture club

Orthodox designer Eric Niccoli draws inspiration from diverse cultural influences such as the downtown art scene and an international aesthetic. The line does well in forward-driving cities such as Los Angeles and Seattle that are pushing music, culture and architecture. “I definitely think men are becoming more and more conscious of the way they look when they walk out the door, which I think is a good thing,” Niccoli said. “In Europe, it’s commonplace. I’m pleased that the awareness level is increasing here for men.”

Part of the renewed interest in fashion can be attributed to the music scene, with up-and-coming bands immediately accessible through MySpace and other online communities.

“Music and fashion have always gone hand in hand,” Niccoli said. “Often, musicians have been ones to spearhead a lot of looks. Some of the most influential people aren’t dressing in jeans. They’re wearing ties, button-ups and suit jackets. They are definitely feeding a lot of the desire for more collection, designer-driven brands.”

Endovanera clothes are not necessarily created for musicians, but designer David Michael Hershberger thinks they are appropriate for the types of music that he listens to. “I would like to think that bands that we’re into would enjoy the clothes. That’s starting to happen,” he said.

Hart launched Morphine Generation five years ago as a vehicle to support his own music career.

“The line was a creative extension of myself and a way to not work a s***ty day job,” Hart said. What started as a graphic-tee business has grown into a complete collection of clothing for men and women that personified Hart’s life as a musician. Hart upped the ante with the launch of his higher-end collection, which is inspired this season by a fictitious band he calls the Dark Harts. “This is their uniform, which translates from stage,” he said. “But you can walk right off stage and can be at a gallery opening or a dinner party or walk around a museum. It translates from the street level to a more-sophisticated level.”

While California’s menswear designers are enjoying their moment in the spotlight on and off the runway, the question lingers, how long will it last?

Hart and Hershberger say they’re both in for the long haul. Hershberger and partner Mitch Moseley are opening a store in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake district. Fremont also has a store in downtown Los Angeles

Bates doesn’t see the menswear market slowing down. Indeed, the showroom owner was encouraged to launch a contemporary trade show, Class, earlier this year. The biannual show, which showcases men’s and women’s labels, bowed in March at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, Calif. The show featured more than 100 brands, including WESC, Diesel, Quiksilver, Apolis Activism, Ever, Cassette, Matte Black, Atwater, Linda Loudermilk, Nudie Jeans and Orthodox and drew about 200 buyers from out-of-state and international stores. The next Class show is planned for mid-August.

Bates said he foresees growth in the menswear market because the customers are becoming more educated about fashion—and they’re becoming interested at a younger age. Men are reading fashion magazines and seeing what’s trending and what they like to wear, he said.

“If anything, I think it’s going to expand the marketplace,” he said. “You’re going to find hipsters emerging in Nebraska and Kansas and Oklahoma. And I feel that it’s just going to keep going.”