True Love & False Idols
Irreverent and subversive, True Love & False Idols seeks to capture the Los Angeles lifestyle with tongue-in-cheek artwork and an in-your-face attitude.
Alex Vaz and Alexander 2Tone, two former rivals, created the new men’s line. 2Tone, a former tattoo artist, graffiti writer, freelance graphic artist and film-school drop out, and fashion designer Vaz formed the company after a series of serendipitous meetings. The pair found common ground while working at Howe, a Huntington Beach, Calif.–based contemporary menswear label. They merged their concepts into a line built around “true love” for their work and controversial themes of glittery idolatry and hard-edged music. Vaz focuses on design, production and sourcing, while 2Tone creates the graphic artwork for T-shirts and the colorful linings of sweatshirts and blazers.
2Tone describes their look as “neon noir—cinematic, flashy, tacky, fly.” His innovative artwork is a “stream of consciousness” collage of hand drawings, clip art and photographs designed with a tattoo flavor.
“It looks like someone rambling about living in Los Angeles,” he said.
Irreverent sayings such as “Cocaine Breakfast,” “Less Fashion, More Action” and “You’re Only As Good As What You Steal” are merged with designs such as a flying squirrel, koala bear with an Uzi and Gucci-inspired motif.
The line, made in premium cotton and fleece, utilizes innovative washes and unique details such as appliqueacute;s, embroidery and metal foils.
The line launched in August at the Pool trade show in Las Vegas and has been picked up by such contemporary stores as Fred Segal Santa Monica and Ron Herman-Fred Segal Melrose, Kitson, M.Fredric, Politix and Nordstrom.
Working out of their own production facility in Compton, Calif., Vaz and 2Tone have the freedom to develop artwork and time-intensive screen-printing techniques.
Wholesale prices for T-shirts range from $22 to $37, $100 to $110 for fleece, $40 to $45 for polos and $45 to $50 for woven long sleeves.
For Fall, the line is being expanded to include blazers, cashmere sweaters, a Lurex-herringbone sport jacket and houndstooth bomber jacket with custom artwork and hidden embroidery under the collar and cuffs.
For more information, contact the Brand Equity Showroom in the Cooper Design Space at (213) 438-0626.
—N. Jayne Seward
