California Apparel News

It’s hard to forget meeting Drew Bernstein. He was tall and lanky with elaborate full-sleeve tattoos and some sort of artfully disheveled hairstyle. But it wasn’t his look that made him so memorable. It was his high-energy, enthusiastic manner that had him introducing himself to everyone in the room—more often than not, with some sort of disarming question. (He once volunteered to accompany a friend at a speed dating event, saying he knew the perfect opening line: “What’s your damage?”) Once he knew you, he’d probably call you “Dude.”

Bernstein, who died on Aug. 18, was the founder of the Lip Service collection of punk rock, Goth and fetish apparel; Kill City, the edgy contemporary men’s and women’s line; goth line Widow and graphics-driven 24 Hours.

Bernstein is survived by his parents, Harry and Sunny Bernstein, and brothers Tod and Reed Bernstein, as well as countless coworkers, colleagues, friends and fans of his collections.

In the days that followed the news that the 51-year-old Bernstein had committed suicide in Los Angeles, Facebook and Twitter were filled with condolences, anecdotes and memories. Many used the words “heartbroken” and “devastated” to describe their feelings. A series of memorials to remember Bernstein began on Aug. 21 at the Darkroom nightclub on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, followed by a public memorial at 5 p.m. on Aug. 23 at the Lip Service headquarters in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights neighborhood. A third event is planned for Aug. 29 at the Dragonfly nightclub on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles.

California punk scene, ground zero

A California native, Bernstein was a ’70s skate rat with a front-row vantage on Los Angeles’ punk scene. He learned guitar and formed a straight-edge band, America’s Hardcore, playing guitar, managing and promoting the band, and booking gigs.

He learned to silk screen from punk artist Brian Tucker and how to rivet and stud leather at Ape Leather. With his next band, Crucifix, he toured the U.S., Canada and Europe.

He made the leap to fashion as a sales rep for NaNa. In 1985, he printed a pair of leggings with a skull and dagger design and launched Lip Service out of the back of his car. NaNa picked up the line, as did Retail Slut and other boutiques that carried punk and alternative clothing. As he added more styles, the retail accounts began to grow, eventually including orders from California retail chain Hot Topic.

Many of those original retailers remained true to the brand.

“I met Drew in 1985 in San Francisco when he was repping several lines and selling the first three styles of Lip Service out of the trunk of his car. I placed our first order and have proudly been selling Lip Service ever since,” said Pam Majors, owner of Junkman’s Daughter in Atlanta.

“Drew was always on the forefront of fashion. He was in step with what was going on in the street and provided bad-ass fashion to resonate everyone’s attitude.”

Mark Thomas, owner of Chicago retail store The Alley and Mobtown Chicago accessories, also met Bernstein in the early days.

“I’ve known Drew for 28 years, since the very beginning or maybe the second season,” he said. “At The Alley, Lip Service was, for maybe a decade, our primary fashion line. Lip Service, when it first started, it was black, Goth clothing. At that time, I had been to England, and it was similar to some of the English companies. Drew would cut a pant six times to make sure it was skinny enough. It was rock ’n’ roll.”

Subculture rock ’n’ roll

Bernstein remained well-connected with the Los Angeles music scene and would let friends rummage through past seasons’ stock and samples. One of those friends was Guns ’N Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin, who discovered a motorcycle-style jacket in an allover print with the word “war” and a question mark. Guns ’N Roses singer Axl Rose was photographed wearing the jacket, and sales shot through the roof.

“When Guns ’N Roses hit it big, here you have Axl and his whole closet is full of Drew’s seconds,” The Alley’s Thomas recalled.

Bernstein described Lip Service as “subculture rock ’n’ roll.” In a 2006 story about the launch of Kill City and another higher-end collection, called Rokara, Bernstein said, “At Lip Service...it’s always been about ‘Let’s make cool stuff for the customers.’”

Erika Klein, owner of Shout Public Relations, worked with Bernstein on the launch of the two lines. She recalled his passion for the business and his kindness and generosity with the people around him.

“I only worked with Drew for a year, but the pearls of wisdom he bestowed upon me I use to this day,” said Rick Lohr, vice president of merchandising and design at RVCA, who also worked on the Rokara line.

Meryl Haley, West Coast public relations for G-Star, worked with Bernstein twice—once in 2006, while she was with Shout Public Relations and again in 2009, when he hired her as Kill City’s publicist.

“He had an uncanny ability to see the potential in anyone, which makes his passing particularly hard to the many people whose lives he changed throughout his life and career,” she said.

Many people received their apparel-industry training from the school of Drew Bernstein, according to The Alley’s Thomas.

“He taught an awful lot of people how to be independent business people,” he said. It’s one of the things I pride myself on in my stores. I teach people how to be entrepreneurs. That’s part of what Drew taught people.”

But Bernstein’s style wasn’t always easy.

“Drew was a tough guy, [but] he had a good heart,” Thomas said. “People would leave Drew angry, but then many would come back. Because they knew he was right. He maybe didn’t tell them in the most polite way, but he was right.”

Giuliana Mayo, co-designer of Los Angeles–based Junker, described Bernstein as “one of our biggest benefactors when Junker began in earnest.”

“He would kick down dead stock that we’d then cannibalize and turn into new stuff—parts, bolts of fabric, even patterns—when he first started to help us out,” she said. “Drew introduced us to so many people and resources and gave advice whenever we called—still did 12 years on into our friendship when I called him for some help earlier this year. He could be abrupt and caustic, but he was usually right, so you made the call anyway.”

Boundless energy

Chris Horsfield, vice president of product development at Schott, who worked with Bernstein at Lip Service from 2004 to 2005, described him as “a driving force with seemingly boundless energy.”

“Drew insisted on carving his own path,” he said.

That energy and hands-on approach made Bernstein the top executive, creative director, front-line salesperson and trade-show booth builder at his company.

Photographer Alex Berliner, who lived next door to Bernstein, remembered how involved Bernstein was in every aspect of his business—especially in preparing for the biannual MAGIC trade show in Las Vegas.

“He looked forward to MAGIC,” Berliner said. “He would build his own booth. He would take the booth up in his own truck with a bunch of guys and girls. He was always so excited about it. With that personal attention to it, he sold well. He knew everything top to bottom through the entire line. His buyers were infected by his own form of his virus, which was him, his energy and his ability to do what he did. This guy is like the Pied Piper.”

Lip Service’s head of sales, Bryn Thomas, credited Bernstein’s “intoxicating energy” and ambition with helping make her the person he is today.

“All of us in the alternative streetwear fashion scene owe him a debt of gratitude and respect for the legacy he created and dedicated his life to. Lip Service was a fashion cult, a lifestyle, a true original—just like the founder. I honestly don’t think he ever knew what impact he had on the world.”

Product junkie

Kill City designer Paul Roughley met Bernstein at the Las Vegas shows in 2005 when Roughley was showing his own collection.

“He was a fan of the line I designed at the time and immediately smothered me with an arsenal of questions,” Roughley said. “It was immediate that this enthusiastic and joyful character—ironically and unapologetically wearing a Mini Cooper logo’d ball cap, thrashed Von Dutch tee, battered and bruised blue jeans, and metal-toed motorcycle boots—was like no other, and his enthusiasm for fashion was inspiring.”

Bernstein recruited Roughley to join the company.

“Soon enough I was his employee, a pink-sweatered Englishman from the North West of England entering what upon first appearances was a downtown LA version of Van Helsing’s castle.”

Roughley said the next 8½ years “have been a blur of brand building, retail store creation, travel and, most of all, what Drew loved the most—clothes. He was a true product junkie and pushed me to my limits to be the best designer I could be.”

During his career, Bernstein crossed paths many times with Alex Berenson, chief executive officer and co-founder of Los Angeles–based Kikwear Industries.

“Over the 20-plus years that we knew each other, our companies were competitors in a sense, but our strong friendship superseded that,” Berenson said. “We always talked about the constant flux of the retail space and how to conquer the challenges during tough environments. In the ’90s, we both sold our alternative gear to tons of the same stores around the globe and often times shared stories about them. Drew was a true pioneer in the clothing industry. He was an outstanding guy with a heart of gold and vision that he pushed forward until the very end.”

Bernstein’s inspired Sherwin “Ace” Ross and “so many,” said the owner of Ace Ross Studios. When Ross was a retailer in New York, he bought Lip Service from Bernstein. When Ross moved to Los Angeles, Bernstein supplied him with private label for his wholesale business.

Freaks and weirdos

Karen Mamont, marketing consultant and music promoter, has known Bernstein since her days in marketing at the California Market Center in Los Angeles and its alternative Look trade show.

“I was flattered to be accepted by Drew as what he affectionately termed ‘freaks and weirdoes,’” she said. “He walked the walk and talked the talk.”

Mamont said she has a collection of favorite pieces created by the designers she’s known throughout her fashion career.

“Just this month I pulled out a 16-year old patent-pleather Snow White silhouette vintage Lip Service blouse I cherished. I enjoyed wearing it to emcee my weekly psychobilly show. I wanted to send Drew a photo to show him how relevant his earlier pieces are today to the whole new generation of kids in the subculture. Drew’s legacy is their inspiration.”

Many designers said they were inspired by Bernstein’s success.

“He was a leader, a pioneer, an individual all the way, a rock and roller, and, most of all, a rebel!” said luxury knits designer Anita Arze, who knew Bernstein since her days designing her contemporary label Talking to Angels. “That’s what all of us entrepreneurs related to and looked up to in him. At all the trade shows for years seeing Drew and his posse and his big awesome booths and his troops. He was inspiring. He also made it look so fun—and it was!”

David Miller, designer of Mondorama and Project Butterfly, remembered Bernstein as “an innovator, a risk taker, a rocker, an entrepreneur and, most importantly, as a good, caring person.”

Bernstein dedicated his life to fashion, said Autumn Walters, designer for Lip Service, Widow, 24 Hours and the company’s private label collections. “The alternative apparel scene has lost the man who made it happen,” she said.

Cool kid on the block

According to Berliner, the photographer, Bernstein’s gregariousness filled his personal life, as well.

“Drew was the glue of our neighborhood,” he said. “He was the first person out to go introduce himself to somebody new—even with the full-sleeve tattoos and the shaved hair.”

Berliner said if Bernstein was throwing a party, everyone was welcome. “You’d walk over and he’d say, “Dude! Where’ve you been? What took you so long? Come on in.” He always had really amazing people around him. Whether that be people who he knew in his work or people he helped dress or his girlfriends. All of them were really amazing people. He was loved by so many people.”

Berliner’s wife, the designer and stylist Magda Berliner, credits Bernstein with helping sell the couple on their house.

“Our realtor kept showing us houses in neighborhoods that seemed so grown up 17 years ago,” she said. On one visit to the house they eventually bought, Bernstein walked out of his house. “I said, ‘Well, I love the fireplace, and I like that guy next door,’” Magda Berliner said. “He was somebody I could relate to. He was our rebel neighbor boy.”

The Berliners said Bernstein was a good influence on their daughter and all the children in the neighborhood.

“He was always real,” Magda Berliner said. “He always had the same view of people. He was very democratic that way. He talked to you as an equal. He didn’t have that filter.”

Brands to continue

In the years before the economic downturn, the company was bringing in about $12 million in sales annually. But in recent years, the business began to struggle. Bernstein fought to keep it afloat, to continue what he had built and to try to preserve the jobs of his employees, many of whom had been with him for years.

In June, Los Angeles–based Blank Generation, which also produces punk-rock apparel under the brand Iron Fist, acquired the Lip Service and Kill City brands and company assets.

Travis Anderson, chief executive officer and founder of Blank Generation, describes it as more of a “merging of creative energies” between brands that sell to many of the same retail stores.

“Drew came to speak to me about the troubled business and said he wanted his brands to live on and go to a good place,” Anderson said. “He said he looked at it as handing the torch to a new generation.”

Anderson founded the Iron Fist brand in 2004 in South Africa and moved it to the United States in 2008. Three years later, Anderson created Blank Generation to be a brand house for streetwear and alternative fashion.

More than 10 Lip Service and Kill City employees joined Blank Generation, including Bernstein.

“Drew was and always will be the creative director of the brands,” Anderson said. “I want to make sure everything stays true to the brand’s history and to Drew. With all Drew’s experience and vision, only Drew knew Lip Service.”

Anderson said he plans to continue as he and Bernstein planned—“because that’s what Drew would have wanted from us all,” he said.

“The brands are going to live on with Drew’s legacy and have the same creative team they always have had. We have no intentions to change anything on the creative, branding and design front. The same sales team will be behind it,” he said. “We’re just going to be the backend support engine.”

Lip Service’s Thomas echoed the sentiment, saying, “The Lip Service/Kill City team and I will do everything we can to continue his dreams, his vision and his legacy to the world.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: In the story above and the version that appears in print in California Apparel News, we ran excerpts from the comments received about Drew Bernstein and Lip Service. The complete quotes appear below.

I was so sad to hear the news about Drew Bernstein. He was the pioneer of L.A Goth/punk fashion, and should be credited more for creating a look that was emulated by many and spread globally. Even today if you walk down the streets of Shinjuku in Tokyo you will see the influence of his design work, goth and skulls NEVER go out of style. In the late 80s and early 90s when I shopped at the original Lip Service [store] on Melrose, I remember Drew helping me pick out an entire look that included dagger/skull-print leggings, layered under a black on black skull-print mini skirt and cropped jacket. Many years later, we would be neighbors on Melrose when he opened his Kill City boutique just down from mine. The last time I saw Drew I finally got to tell him my story of how I fell in love with skull iconography at his little shop so long ago and how he had inspired me too. What makes me saddest of all is how we have so many talented people among us, and it takes a tragedy like this for us all to stop and really acknowledge what they accomplished.—Designer Tarina Tarantino

Drew was one of the most innovative, young fashion designers in the early 1990s. He was as sharp as a tack and saw how the newer technologies making clothing were the way to go. He was one of the first five companies in Los Angeles to put patterns on a Mac computer. Many young innovators in their 30s, who were sons of owners of companies, took a chance making patterns on the Mac too. But Drew stood out among them, ordering four pattern design stations with grading, and two marker design stations. He made a huge difference to Canadian company PAD Systems' presence in the USA because of his insight. He was truly a leader in technology, design and opening doors to new thinking of high tech ways of making Fashion.--Kristine Gloviak, manager of USA Sales and Implementation for PAD System Technologies, who met Bernstein over 20 years ago, showing him SnapFashion and then training and implementing PAD.

I’m heartbroken about Drew’s passing. I met Drew in 1985 in San Francisco when he was repping several lines and selling the first three styles of Lip Service out of the trunk of his car.

I placed our first order and having proudly been selling Lip Service ever since.

Drew was always on the forefront of fashion. He was in step with what was going on in the street and provided bad-ass fashion to resonate everyone’s attitude.—Pam Majors, owner of Junkman’s Daughter in Atlanta

I’ve known Drew for 28 years, since the very beginning or maybe the second season. At The Alley, Lip Service was for maybe a decade, our primary fashion line.

Lip Service—when it first started—it was black, Goth clothing. At that time, I had been to England, and it was similar to some of the English companies. Drew would cut a pant six times to make sure it was skinny enough. It was rock ’n’ roll.

I don’t know if you know how Lip Service started. Drew came up with the dagger and skull. He was literally sewing jeans himself. The guy from Guns n Roses used to be friends with Drew, and Drew would say to Axl Rose, “Dude, take these pants.” And he would give him clothes. When Guns ‘n Roses hit it big, here you have Axl and his whole closet is full of Drew’s seconds.

One of the reasons what’s happened [to this business] is because Hot Topic oversaturated the market that people like Drew and I built. The market got overexposed. It really destroyed the lifestyle. Do you remember a show in Vegas called The Edge? There were maybe 150 vendors there. This is a big problem for me in the store. We’ve got no vendors left.

Drew was all about Lip Service. He taught an awful lot of people how to be independent business people. It’s one of the things I pride myself on in my stores. I teach people how to be entrepreneurs. That’s part of what Drew taught people.

Drew was a tough guy, [but] he had a good heart. People would leave Drew angry, but then many would come back. Because they knew he was right. He maybe didn’t tell them in the most polite way, but he was right.

Drew made a deal to make sure that Lip Service lived on. He made sure his baby lived on.—Mark Thomas, owner of Chicago retail store The Alley and Mobtown Chicago accessories

I had the pleasure of working with Drew on his Kill City and Rokara collections. He was always so passionate about everything he was involved with. He was truly a kind and generous soul, and he will be missed by so many.—Erika Klein, owner of Shout Public Relations

I only worked with Drew for a year, but the pearls of wisdom he bestowed upon me I use to this day. —Rick Lohr, vice president of merchandising and design at RVCA, who worked with Bernstein on the Rokara line.

“I first met Drew in late 2005 in Las Vegas. He was a fan of the line I designed at the time and immediately smothered me with an arsenal of questions. It was immediate that this enthusiastic and joyful character ironically and unapologetically wearing a Mini Cooper logo’d ball cap, thrashed Von Dutch tee, battered and bruised blue jeans, and metal-toed motorcycle boots was like no other, and his enthusiasm for fashion was inspiring.

Soon enough I was his employee, a pink-sweatered Englishman from the North West of England entering what upon first appearances was a downtown LA version of Van Helsing’s castle.

The trepidation soon subsided, and the following 8 1/2 years have been a blur of brand building, retail store creation, travel and, most of all, what Drew loved the most—clothes. He was a true product junkie and pushed me to my limits to be the best designer I could be.

We shared many hours together over the years on long-haul flights and sleepless jet-lagged nights in Hong Kong talking about what we both loved the most: creating clothes that had a reason to be, not just addressing the consumer’s thirst for fast-fashion, being proud of the choices we made in fabric, trim, colors and washes. We were both captivated by the details. We wanted to be proud of what we produced and make the customers feel proud and confident in what they purchased.

As long as my career continues, Drew will be by my side in spirit, his voice inside my head questioning my decisions, pushing me to be determined, conscientious and proud that what I create has meaning to our loyal, disenfranchised, rebellious and spirited legion of fans.

The years came and went too fast, Drew. I knew you well, and, now, reading through the beautiful tributes to your life, I knew so little. I will take what I learned from you and continue in your honor.—Paul Roughley, designer, Kill City

Drew, my idol, mentor, friend—and a true cult leader. The alternative apparel scene has lost the man who made it happen! Dedicated his life to fashion. For this and so much more he will forever be loved and missed.—Autumn Walters, designer for Lip Service, Widow, 24 Hours and Private Label.

Drew was like a father, brother, mentor, and friend to me. His intoxicating energy and ambition helped make the person I am today. All of us in the alternative streetwear fashion scene owe him a debt of gratitude and respect for the legacy he created and dedicated his life to. Lip Service was a fashion cult, a lifestyle , a true original—just like the founder. I honestly don’t think he ever knew what impact he had on the world. I will truly never be the same with him gone but more so I will never be the same for having the luck to have been a part of his life.

The Lip Service/Kill City team and I will do everything we can to continue his dreams, his vision and his legacy to the world.—Bryn Thomas, head of sales for Lip Service

Words cannot explain how inspirational Drew Bernstein was to all that knew him. He had an uncanny ability to see the potential in anyone, which makes his passing particularly hard to the many people whose lives he changed throughout his life and career. I was lucky enough that I got to work with him for many years and will forever cherish both personal memories and professional milestones we shared.—Meryl Haley, West Coast public relations for G-Star who worked with Bernstein in 2006, while she was with Shout Public Relations and again in 2009, when he hired her as Kill City’s publicist.

A driving force with seemingly boundless energy. Drew insisted on carving his own path. Inimitable and ineffable are words which were forged in a vain attempt to paint his picture. When both character and characters are so rare in this world, it’s a poorer place today on both counts.—Chris Horsfield, vice president of product development at Schott, who worked with Bernstein at Lip Service from 2004 to 2005

Drew Bernstein, along with our incredibly patient parents, was one of our biggest benefactors when Junker began in earnest. He would kick down dead stock that we’d then cannibalize and turn into new stuff, parts, bolts of fabric, even patterns when we first started to help us out. Drew introduced us to so many people and resources and gave advice whenever we called—still did 12 years on into our friendship when I called him for some help earlier this year. He could be abrupt and caustic, but he was usually right, so you made the call anyway. His generosity wasn’t limited professionally either. Drew let me be his Kato Kaelin when I was going through a rough patch, setting me up in his guest wing for a couple of months. From that sweet air-conditioned perch I got to know his mom, Sunny, who came in tennis attire every few days to water the plants, and his super-sweet housekeeper, Lola (who wasn’t really named Lola, but he couldn’t pronounce her actual name, so that’s what she became), and Rocket, his constant companion/loving pup. He loved fast cars, loud music, fashion and Lip Service above all else. Can’t imagine how it can go on without him as the manic engine propelling it forward. I will miss him, as I am sure will so many others.—Giuliana Mayo, co-designer of Los Angeles–based Junker

Drew was a true pioneer in the clothing industry who I had great admiration and respect for. It’s completely mind boggling that I’m speaking about him in past tense! Over the 20-plus years that we knew each other our companies were competitors in a sense, but our strong friendship superseded that. We always talked about the constant flux of the retail space and how to conquer the challenges during tough environments. In the ’90s, we both sold our alternative gear to tons of the same stores around the globe and often times shared stories about them. Above all else, he was an outstanding guy with a heart of gold and vision that he pushed forward until the very end. To say he will be missed is a massive understatement. RIP, my brother.—Alex Berenson, chief executive officer and co-founder of Los Angeles-based Kikwear Industries

Drew Bernstein, a cool, fascinating yet humble gutsy hero. For me, Drew was the ultimate kindred spirit. I was immediately drawn to this extraordinary punk rock ’n’ roller. He was a passionate designer who produced a look that reflected the lifestyle of those of us who thrilled in residing on the edge. This Old Skool skater, NaNa rep and rock’n musician started making leggings out of his garage with his own Horror Pop screen prints of skulls and daggers. His ingenuity and fierce intelligence brought his fetish apparel into the successful retail circuit, pre Hot Topic, at a time when it was considered dangerously far from acceptable to mainstream retailers. I loved his dry wit as much as he loved his koi fish. I was flattered to be accepted by Drew as what he affectionately termed “freaks and weirdoes.” He walked the walk and talked the talk.

I keep a chest of favorite pieces by designers I’ve known throughout my fashion career. Just this month I pulled out a 16-year old patent-pleather Snow White silhouette vintage Lip Service blouse I cherished. I enjoyed wearing it to emcee my weekly psychobilly show. I wanted to send Drew a photo to show him how relevant his earlier pieces are today to the whole new generation of kids in the subculture. Drew’s legacy is their inspiration. He will never be taken for granted! My admiration and enjoyment of him goes further than I know how to mention. I am devastated.

—Karen Mamont, a.k.a. The Reverend Martini Presents, music show producer/promoter, marketing/branding consultant and retro stylist

Drew, you touched, moved, and inspired me and so many. Your best was yet to come. I’m so sorry. I pray that your creative, brilliant, generous, spirit is at peace now. Rock on, Lippy.—Sherwin “Ace” Ross, owner of Ace Ross Studios. Ross bought from Bernstein when working as a retailer in New York. After moving to Los Angeles, Bernstein supplied Ross with private label for his wholesale business.

Wow! What can I say? What a huge loss for all of us! He was one of us—a rebel! He made an impression and had an effect on us all! He was a leader, a pioneer, an individual all the way, a rock and roller, and most of all a rebel! That’s what all of us entrepreneurs related to and looked up to in him. He started it all, pioneered the scene and scenes. He was early and ahead of us—and long-lasting. He was also successful and held a model for all us young little companies back in the day like Mondorama, Talking To Angels, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.!

At all the trade shows for years seeing Drew and his posse and his big awesome booths, and his troops. He was inspiring. He also made it look so fun—and it was!

He was a true entrepreneur and pioneer. He was punk rock!

He was also a kid, and forever young and joyful. He had this uplifting spirit and was always the head of the gang, the leader of the pack—he was so much fun! He had an infectious spirit, and we were blessed to have known him!

It’s always too short, but he’s our angel now, and we can look above and smile at him leading the troops from the heavens! We love you, Drew, always and forever.—Designer Anita Arze

I will always remember Lippy as an innovator, a risk taker, a rocker, an entrepreneur and, most importantly, as a good, caring person. Viva Lippy!—David Miller, designer of Mondorama and Project Butterfly

He was our rebel neighbor boy as I call him. Our realtor kept showing us houses in neighborhoods that seemed so grown up 17 years ago. [Drew walked out of the house during one visit to the house they eventually bought] I said, “Well, I love the fireplace and I like that guy next door.” He was somebody I could relate to. He was always around for our daughter and a really good influence on her.

He was always real. He always had the same view of people. He was very democratic that way. He talked to you as an equal. He didn’t have that filter.

I don’t think he knew that the body of his work touched so many people. —Magda Berliner, designer, stylist, neighbor

Drew was the glue of our neighborhood. He was the first person out to go introduce himself to somebody new—even with the full-sleeve tattoos and the shaved hair. He had such amazing energy. He was kind of a troublemaker—but a Dennis the Menace troublemaker—and we all loved it. His energy was infectious. He’s the adult form of that child in all of us. He’s still got the youthful part. That’s just awesome. We should all have that.

Big kid, lots of cars. When I met him he had some sort of jeep, which became the hand-painted camouflage jeep. His little Australian shepherd dog, Rocket, would go everywhere with him and follow him around like a little brother. Then it was Cobra, then a Viper, then a BMW M5. Then a big giant truck. And then other big giant truck. He was a toy guy. He showed up one day with a BMX bike with a side hack on it, which is this little platform where you can crouch on it while you ride. He was like “Dude, check this out. It’s awesome.” He would ride it around the cul-de-sac, and all the kids in the neighborhood were like “Drew! Drew! Drew!”

It’s that energy that defined him. Running a huge business that makes all this stuff that kids want to wear because he is one of them. He looked forward to MAGIC. He would build his own booth. He would take the booth up in his own truck with a bunch of guys and girls. He was always so excited about it. With that personal attention to it, he sold well. He knew everything top to bottom through the entire line. His buyers were infected by his own form of his virus, which was him, his energy and his ability to do what he did. This guy is like the Pied Piper.

We totally fell in love with him the minute we moved in. When we moved in, Drew did not have a pool. We move in and Drew is excavating the entire backyard—and wants to drive the Bobcat himself. And he’d come over and say, “Dude! I’m really sorry. I know there’s dirt all over your driveway, I’ll clean it up.” And he’d clean it up himself, broom in hand. He was the guy with the tools, the guy with the floor jack and he would say, “I’ll help you with that. What do you need?”

He loved working on his house. He loved all the little things he built into it for utility. He was welcoming of everyone. You could have been the neighbor’s house painter and he would have been like “Hey, do you need anything? Do you need water?” He’d be out there saying, “Let me see that. That’s cool! How’d you do that?” And that was him. His gardener loved him. His pool man loved him. His bonsai guy loved him, and, by the way, how many people have a pool man, a gardener, a koi guy and a bonsai guy? He really did enjoy all those things, and his house was a very good exclamation of who he was with the crazy naked art portraits and the leopard-skin chairs and a grand piano on saltillo tile.

You’d drive by his house and you’d hear the music and smell the barbeque and you’d walk over, and he’d say, “Dude! Where you been? What took you so long? Come on in.” Everyone’s welcome. He always had really amazing people around him. Whether that be people who he knew in his work or people he helped dress or his girlfriends. All of them were really amazing people. He was loved by so many people.—Alex Berliner, photographer, neighbor