Audiophile: Streetwear for Grown-Ups
“I like to think of us as a designer streetwear line,” said David Chimo, co-owner of Los Angeles–based Audiophile. The line, designed by fellow co-owner and former XLarge designer Andrew Hinkley, bowed in June 2004 and includes graphic-heavy T-shirts, jackets, shorts and button-up shirts.
In 2004, Hinkley and Chimo saw a need for more fashion-driven streetwear that picked up where other lines left off. “Audiophile is for streetwear kids who grew up,” Chimo explained. “They don’t want another knockoff of a Dickies jacket. They pay attention to details, they want a good fit and a sophisticated color palette.”
Hinkley, who also designs Lalo, a line of high-end menswear originally sold in Japan, takes his inspiration for Audiophile from edgy designer lines such as Dries Van Noten. At least twice a year, Chimo and Hinkley travel to Tokyo and Hong Kong for inspiration for the line and to source fabric and meet with manufacturers. “In Japan, we basically shop and see what’s going on because they’re at least five steps ahead of the game,” Chimo said.
The Spring 2006 line features eight new T-shirt graphics, slim nylon-blend jackets with lots of pocketing and high stitch counts, long-sleeve shirts with customized placket tape and an inside pocket, and heavy twill shorts.
“The fashion pieces are very boutique-y,” said Chimo. Jackets wholesale for $70–$75, and all the items retail for less than $150.
T-shirts wholesale for $13 and feature graphics by Hinkley and guest designers with fine-art and graphic-design backgrounds. Often cheeky, the designs have garnered Audiophile entrance into youth-oriented retailer Urban Outfitters and more high-end boutiques such as Fred Segal in Santa Monica and Villains in San Francisco. Los Angeles–based upscale mall retailer Metropark is putting together its first order. “The T-shirts are funny, so they can appeal to a younger customer,” Chimo said, “but they’re also sophisticated, so they do well in boutique environments.”
“Our focus has always been graphics,” he said, but as the name suggests, the line is heavily influenced by music. At its start, the company did all of its marketing and promotion through music events. All of its print advertising appears in the music magazine Filter. “We’re knee-deep in music,” said Chimo, who after a seven-year stint as XLarge’s international business manager pursued a career as a drummer.
The company is gearing up to launch an “artists’ series” of T-shirts featuring designs by notable Los Angeles–based musicians. First to submit his design will be L.A. musician Jimmy Tamborello of The Postal Service.
Capitalizing on their connections overseas, Chimo and Hinkley recently started Audiophile Design and Development, a private-label branch that manufactures apparel overseas for American companies. “It seemed like a natural progression to use our connections to enter the private-label business,” Chimo said.
For more information, call (323) 226-9415. —Erin Barajas
