California Apparel News

Los Angeles-based alternative clothing makers Serious Clothing and Lip Service aren’t toning down their alternative looks, they’re just tuning into a more contemporary customer.

For Fall, the companies will launch new collections with a more mature take on alternative apparel.

“We’re just growing with our customers,” explained Serious founder Magnus Walker.

Both Serious and Lip Service spent years catering their edgy fashion to juniors and young men between the ages of 14 and 26, but now they’re getting ready to launch collections that combine their unconventional looks with more sophisticated, high-end styles.

The two companies define their customers slightly differently. According to Walker, Serious is for the “extreme rocker,” while Lip Service is geared toward “individuals who are not afraid to stand out,” said owner Drew Bernstein. However, both companies have developed a loyal following for their alternative fashions, which range from Serious’ “Punk Couture” stretch tartan plaid skirts, pants and jackets to Lip Service’s death rocker and vinyl fetish wear.

But with the alternative customer growing older and having, perhaps, a little more money to spend on clothing, both companies see a niche opening in the marketplace.

“There’s a huge gap between junior alternative and contemporary clothing, with a lot of ground in the middle, and we’re going after that middle ground,” explained Walker, who launched his company in 1994 and now runs it with his wife, Karen.

Currently, Serious is sold nationally through alternative retailer Hot Topic and its plus-size sister store Torrid and to specialty boutiques, and ships approximately 200,000 pieces each year, said Magnus Walker.

Walker describes the new collection GSTQ (an acronym for the Sex Pistols’ song “God Save the Queen”)as “evolving”from Serious’ rock ’n’ roll roots.

“We make what we like to wear, but our taste is maturing,” Magnus Walker explained.

The more contemporary-styled line uses finer fabrics and sells at a slightly higher price than Serious’ junior collection. Wholesale price points for a pair of novelty denim in the new collection will cost about $53 as opposed to the $33 for the company’s junior novelty denim.

GSTQ has about 150 styles for men and women that range from embroidered voile, flocked velvet with paisley print and eyelets shirtsto novelty bottomswith a custom-made feel, including denim and brocade miniskirts, stone-washed stretch corduroy, denim with leather appliqueacute;s and embroidered denim.

The company plans to introduce the new collection to some of its current accounts, including Cat Walk in Huntington Beach, Calif.; Rolo and Back Seat Betty in San Francisco; and Patricia Fields in New York, as well as target new retail outlets.

Lip Service’s venture into a new market began last spring, when the company experimented with its catalog collection by using knit polyester and stretch denim to create edgy “day” styles.

“We think our customer would like the option of wearing a short miniskirt and denim jacket with zipper on arms during the day and a vinyl dress from the ’Blood Thirsty’ collection at night,” said Bernstein. The customer response to the catalog was extremely positive, which made the company rethink its objective in the apparel market, Bernstein said.

The company’s new division, Black Label, which will be geared to customers between the ages of 25 and 40, is a scaled-down version of its hard-edge junior-driven collection.

The 83-piece collection comes in eight groups: “From Dusk to Dawn,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Paisley,” “Cross Hatch Denim,” “Dark Side of the Moon,” “Lily Lace,” “Sonic Temple Suede,” “Strictly Stripes” and “Year of the Chinchilla.”

Double-breasted peacoat with contrast-covered button closures and accents on cuff and tail, low-neckline mini-dress with contrasting suede cuffs, stretch and rigid denim with pegged leg and diamond-back pockets, and button-down lace shirt with satin cuff and collar are just a few looks in the collection.Black Label’s non-conformist fashion with a twist will be aimed at high-end contemporary venues that specialize in edgy apparel with lots of attitude, according to Black Label designer Mary Curran.Rock Roots

Providing fashion for alternative tastes is an ongoing mission for Bernstein, who launched Lip Service’s junior-driven “anti-conventional” label in the early 1980s with a skull-and-dagger-printed T-shirt collection.

Over the past two decades, Lip Service has expanded its offerings to include Goth, Fetish, Punk and Glam Rock apparel including pieces in vinyl, leopard prints and plaid.

Even though Lip Service is also distributed through Hot Topic, Bernstein said the majority of the company’s business is through better boutique stores, including Allston Beat in Boston and Trash & Vaudeville in New York, among others. Additionally, Lip Service’s apparel is sold in Europe, Asia and Canada.

The company declined to give projections for this year; however, over the past decade it has more than doubled its retail base from 300 doors to 700 doors.

But producing a contemporary collection could be risky, said Bernstein, who quietly launched a few pieces from the Black Label collection at the Femme show in New York.

“We found out that one customer was scaring away the other,” he said, adding that his company may have to find other ways to separate his fashion-driven contemporary customer from his extreme customer.

For Serious’ owners, the company’s retail store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles and Web site [www.seriousstore.com] have helped gauge consumer reaction to the line. The 4-year-old store, which carries Serious merchandise as well as other labels including Diablo, Johnny Suede and Lip Service, also serves as an incubator for new styles and higher price points.Keeping Core Customers

Bernstein said Black Label received positive feedback at Femme from potential buyers whose stores cater to a more contemporary customer. However, the company’s current clientele expressed mixed reactions, he noted.

“The buyers understood that Black Label was related to Lip Service’s traditional collection, but they didn’t like the shades of the fabrics in the collection; some of the buyers thought the shades were too light,” Bernstein said.

Black Label will officially debut at MAGIC International in August. Serious plans to debut its new collection at New York’s Intermezzo show in August.

The trick for both companies seems to be to launch into new categories without losing the core alternative customer.

“We don’t want to alienate that customer that has grown with our company,” said Serious’ Magnus Walker.

But Bernstein, who calls the new Black Label part of “a rediscovery phase for the company,” said exploring new territory is part of Lip Service’s ethos.

“It’s a whole new package, but our extreme designs and basic designs are always evolving. That’s what our company was created to do,” he said.