California Apparel News

Launched in 2018, Wash Lab is offering colorful denim from within the Los Angeles market. As a designer who has more than 26 years of experience, co-founder and Creative Director Lina Tsai is “funkifying” the basics.

“The denim was created because there are so many basic shades of blues, blacks and gray. We wanted to create colored denim that is soft, not in your face, so you can wear it for more than one season,” Tsai said. “These are wearable colors. L.A. is the perfect place because it’s a denim space.”

With an approach to expand denim beyond basics, Tsai emphasizes that Wash Lab’s hues are different from the standard color palette. While discussing muted tones, she explained how the company has produced denim beyond the norm.

“Our version of camel, instead of a true camel, we make it funky with our washes to create a camel effect. For early Spring, we have our wash for camel that interprets it into different shades of green in a high-low effect,” she said. “That is how we’re going to tweak our wash. We’re going to create things that are artistic in a way.”

A marketing-and-merchandising professional, Tsai started designing more than 26 years ago. After cutting her teeth in New York, Tsai moved to Los Angeles—a major denim city—and is fascinated with blending the two fashion cultures.

“Being in New York and the culture that you get is so in your face you can’t help but learn,” she said. “Then you get the L.A. vibe. It’s interesting to mesh the two together.”

The benefits of launching a denim brand in Los Angeles are many, and Tsai enjoys examining the West Coast trends in this category while studying the roots of creating this type of apparel. By partnering with established Los Angeles denim-wash partners, she adopts methods for navigating the business while learning how to maintain the unique qualities of her brand.

“You can drive to all the wash plants and experiment with them,” she explained. “They are so knowledgeable because they have been doing it for so long with so many brands.”

This type of experimentation is at the core of Wash Lab’s denim formula, as it takes standard colors and creates different hues while attempting to yield the softest hand possible.

“If we want a rigid look, the fabric will include more cotton. If we want a skinny, we would add more Lycra,” Tsai said. “With the washes, it affects the fabrics. If we want to create a certain look, the content of the fiber matters since it absorbs differently. It depends on what we want to achieve.”

While larger quantities are manufactured overseas, a few pieces are made domestically, but everything is washed and developed in Los Angeles. Relying on premium fabrics, the Wash Lab team ensures that its denim recovers well and retains its color.

“Because of the way we process our washes, it’s soft,” Tsai said. “You’re not going to get crunchiness.”

The brand offers denim in sizes 25–34 with a body that is flattering on all shapes, whether curvy or slim. It is also fit for the average consumer’s real body, not an unrealistic expectation. While the Wash Lab remains on trend with its cuts, offering styles such as the boyfriend, skinny and flare, its patterns are created to hide any imperfections and accentuate other areas.

“No matter what size you are, we try on everyone,” Tsai explained. “The fit model is not a skinny Minnie. “We have everyone in the showroom wear them, and they all have different bodies.”

Priced from $42 and above wholesale, Wash Lab denim is available online at washlabshop.com and retailers including Nordstrom.