Cassette: Street Chic
One year after his departure, former Hudson design director and creative director Peter James Lee brings Cassette, his new line of streetwear for men and women, to market. Debuting with the Spring 2007 season, the Los Angeles–based line of minimalist black or white apparel stands out in a sea of pretty dresses and blue jeans.
Lee, a denim veteran and music lover, said he wanted to make clothes for himself and his friends. In this, his first solo venture, Lee opted to debut with menswear and womenswear to keep from being pigeonholed. “History shows that women’s business takes off faster than men’s. I knew I wanted to do both, but I also knew if I launched with just women’s we’d be known as a ’chick brand.’ It’s hard for guys to associate later with a brand if they think of it that way, so we had to start with both,” he said. Being self-funded, that was no easy task.
Centered around denim, the line offers high-waisted denim jeans and shorts as well as wool cardigans, ruffled blouses and leather vests for women. For Fall, women will get sweater dresses, capes and long cardigans. Men get slim wool suits, woven shirts, wool sweaters and “skinny but not wimpy” jeans in dark washes. Cassette’s men’s jean is a replica of a jean made in 1909 by Levi’s, Lee said. The tape in the waistband is done in an old tailoring technique. Hardware for the brand is also made the old-fashioned way, with rivets hewn from a nail and washer and buttons made bearing the brand’s logo.
“The aesthetic is sort of Los Feliz and Sunset Junction— sort of skinny tough guy and fashion-forward feminine,” Lee said, referring to two of the most hipster-friendly neighborhoods in Los Angeles. While the Cassette guy is shopping for obscure records, the Cassette girl is shopping for vintage to mix with her designer labels.
Lee, who calls himself a closet DJ and an appreciator of music, sees Cassette as a parallel to his musical muse. “A cassette is something old that is fading away. That idea plays into our philosophy for the brand,” he said. The line is packed with old-school stripes and vintage references.
The women’s wholesale prices range from $40 for a merino wool scarf to $70 for a black track jacket and $120 for stovepipe denim with a corset waist detail. The men’s collection wholesales for $48 for a silk tie to $89 for a slim cotton fleece jacket and $290 for a wool, hand-tailored suit. American Rag and Madison in Los Angeles have picked up the line. For more information, call (213) 670- 0234.—Erin Barajas
