California Apparel News

It’s round two for Insight.

The surf and street brand, founded in Australia in 1999, introduced its Fall ’15 line at the Agenda trade show in Las Vegas Feb. 16–18 and at Axis, which runs Feb. 22–24 in New York. The new season represents a new direction for the irreverent label. It is the first collection directed by its new Los Angeles–based designers, Robert Abeyta Jr. and Danica Elbertse, who joined the label last year. Abeyta forecasted that the label’s new California crew would make a different statement with fashion.

“There’s a new area, somewhere between fashion and sportswear, that Insight has the ability to push into a new space,” Abeyta said. He and his design company, DualForces, which maintains offices in Hermosa Beach, Calif., and San Francisco, have worked with top streetwear brands such as Stüssy and Undefeated. Elbertse had worked previously as a stylist for editorial shoots and also in marketing for Insight.

The hires of new designers followed some big changes for the label’s parent brand, Bleach Group USA Holdings. It restructured at the end of 2013. Bleach also received backing from private-investment firm Breakwater Investment Management Inc., based in Los Angeles, for an undisclosed amount and moved its headquarters and production to Los Angeles.

Along with a new line, Insight will get some new digs. Designers and other Insight staff will move into new offices at 1310 Main St. in Los Angeles’ Venice neighborhood this spring. The address is a couple of blocks away from the Pacific Ocean and a few storefronts down from Insight’s flagship store at 1501 Main St. The store also is scheduled for a renovation, which will take place later this year.

Insight’s Fall ’15 line also will celebrate new beginnings. “We didn’t want to live in the past,” Abeyta said of the line’s looks. “It’s breaking down the old system and creating something new.”

The Fall ’15 line is called “Crypto Luxury,” and it was inspired by the unique culture of Venice. Over the past decade, a lot of wealthy people have moved to Venice, which was known for being a bohemian enclave that also happened to have a high crime rate. The district still juggles the free spirit and danger of the old Venice with the comfort and chic living of the new Venice.

For the men’s line of Crypto Luxury, design inspirations include Tokyo streetwear, American sportswear and military looks. The line’s “Bravo Scout Thermal” long-sleeve top features a jungle-style camouflage patterns along with brown and mustard colors. Other looks include the “Krypteia Vest,” a black, quilted vest covered in the satin typically used on flight jackets. There’s also the “Darknet” coat, a trench-style jacket.

Women’s looks include the “Marylins Doubts” shirt, a long-sleeve button-down shirt. It bears the graphic of a woman with a dazed look. Another is the color-blocked long-sleeve dress shirt, called the “Block You” dress. Also in the collection is a layered crop tee. Wholesale prices range from $20 to $50. For more information, contact Purdom Thomas, Insight’s sales director, at purdom@insight51.com.