California Apparel News

Elmer Ave. is taking its custom aesthetic and bringing it to a wider market.

The designers of the Los Angeles–based menswear line have transitioned from skaters, artists and musicians to designers of a 3-year-old collection of avant-garde, one-of-a-kind men’s pieces that sell to a private clientele.

This year, the designers—Jonny Day, Sean Murphy, Collin Pulsipher and Ward Robinson—expanded their creative vision to include a production line, also under the Elmer Ave. label, of jackets, shirts and tees.

Typical Elmer Ave. custom pieces include hand-painted, slim-fitting vintage jackets that are equal parts dandy and punk rock.

Elmer Ave.’s production jackets pick up some of the themes of the custom line. A trio of tuxedo-style jackets features red silk lining and gold-plated buttons with the Elmer Ave. crest. The “Duke” is a tuxedo jacket emblazoned with heraldic crests. The “King” features a screen-printed argyle pattern and a silk-screened band of silhouetted guitars running down the back. The “Rebel” is a formal style rendered in skinny black-and-white stripes. There are three slim-fitting blazer styles with gray silk lining and custom sterling-silver buttons with the Elmer Ave. crest. The “Bullitt” features silk-screened intersecting stripes on the front. The “Prince” features silk-screened chevron stripes. The “Eiffel” takes its cue from a similar cut-away style in the custom line, with red-and-black stripes paired with gray-and-black stripes.

The production line also includes an embroidered tuxedo shirt with engraved cufflinks and a button-down style that is available with or without the Elmer Ave. silkscreen logo, which appears on many of the custom pieces. Tees are fitted and feature tongue-in-cheek graphics with Western and military themes, motorcycles, or circular saws and razor blades. The designers wanted to keep the production-line prices “more accessible” than the Elmer Ave. custom pieces. Wholesale prices for the production line range from $40 for the T-shirts to $125 for shirts, $215 for the blazers and $225 for the tuxedo jackets. Wholesale prices for the custom blazers begin at $380. One of the company’s Japanese retailers recently placed an order for a custom jacket style, which will wholesale for $640.

The production line is produced in Los Angeles, and the fabrics include European goods sourced from local suppliers.

The new lines launched at the Poolstradeshow in Las Vegas in February. And since then, both the production line and custom pieces have been picked up by retailers such as Reister in Tokyo, Bill Hallman in Atlanta, Friction in Dallas and Bonnie & Clyde in Chicago.

The designers recently created an in-store display for Friction and plan to do the same at Bill Hallman.

Day said he thought the production line would take off and quickly eclipse the custom line, but, instead, the production line has helped bolster sales for the custom line.

“The market has embraced the custom line,” he said. “[Sales are] almost equal—they’re ordering half a rack of custom and half a rack of production.”

Elmer Ave. is carrying the custom aesthetic over to the production line.

“As we descend into the market, we’re discovering what people like and how we can work with them on an exclusive basis,” said Day. “For example, we’re working on new fabrics and new cuts for a Japanese client. As our line grows, we’re going to see quite a bit of customization.”

Next up for the company is steady growth and retail expansion.

“We’re going to be adding to the line each season, getting it into the best shops in the best cities and letting it mature for a while and then really develop it,” said Day.

The first order of business is “completing the suit,” said Day. “We’re going to do two pants—a casual fit and a classic suit trouser.” Other potential styles include leather jackets, military-style jackets and longer coats.

Theatrical themes

Founded in 2004 by skate-apparel maker Afroman Productions, Elmer Ave.’s four-man design team also performs with their band, Numchuck. The company is named for the North Hollywood street where it first launched and is still located.

The designers recently showed the production line in an informal setting at Les Deux nightclub in Hollywood, where guests included iconic musician Sting.

Day said the designers wanted to show the line in a casual setting, rather than the typical Elmer Ave. elaborate theatrical production.

“It was us introducing ourselves to the Hollywood and L.A. crowd,” he said. “A lot of times it seems our line is unapproachable. We tried to show a classic look, not themed out.”

Past shows have included a Wild West theme complete with a shootout between sheriff and villain, a boxing-themed show set inside a boxing ring and a house party–style show with motorcycles roaring through the crowd and skaters on a half pipe in the backyard.

Die-hard Elmer Ave. fans should rest assured that the designers will return to the theatrical productions soon.

“I want to do something really wild,” said Day.

For more information about Elmer Ave.’s custom collection or the production line, call (818) 985-7287 or visit www.elmerave.com. —Alison A. Nieder