MANUFACTURING
Bricks & Wood’s Mission for South Central Los Angeles
In 2003, the Los Angeles City Council voted to officially change the name of South Central Los Angeles to South Los Angeles.
The City Council hoped a name change would dispel stereotypes of crime, gangs and violence of the area below the 10 Freeway, but the name change never resonated with Kacey Lynch, a third-generation South Central resident.
Lynch tells people that his clothing brand, Bricks & Wood, is headquartered in South Central Los Angeles, not South Los Angeles.
“A City Council vote will not change the identity of people,” he said of his district. “I don’t call it ‘South LA.’ People who are not from here call it South LA.”
However, like the 2003 City Council, he hoped to change perceptions of his neighborhood. And he thought he could do it with a clothing line.
“I wanted people to know that success is not what you see on TV. I want people to understand that success is what surrounds you. You don’t have to leave your neighborhood. The challenge might be tougher, but the reward will be more fulfilling. You can prove to the world that this place has creativity and beauty,” Lynch said. In the future, he hopes to open a branded boutique in his neighborhood.
He has placed the basics-focused line in independent boutiques such as Threads & Needles in Torrance, Calif., located in the South Bay of Los Angeles County. Looks include T-shirts, hoodies, baseball caps and beanies.
The silhouettes are rooted in a South Central style from the 1980s, but he also hoped to design a look that could be worn anywhere. “It is meant to be universal. I want to give people something that can be worn year-round,” Lynch said.
T-shirts and hoodies bear embroidered Bricks & Wood logos. Beanies come in a variety of pastel colors. Baseball caps were designed with a variety of logos ranging from a capital “B” for Bricks & Wood to styles that show an ampersand. Another popular look was a velour-fabric baseball cap.
The brand’s hoodies are made in South Central Los Angeles. The beanies are manufactured in Portland, Ore. The tees have been produced in the San Francisco Bay Area. Retail price points range from $30 for a T-shirt to $110 for a hoodie on the brand’s direct-to-consumer site at www.bricksandwood.us.
