We sit in class everyday in a room full of strangers. Do you ever think who these people really are, and what they do outside of that class? I just had the fortunate opportunity to find out how amazing one of my classmates is and how he is a bigger deal than needing to sit in our boring class twice a week. FAKE L.A. is the creative outlet of company Founder and Creative Director Lance Roylo. The company’s designs are inspired by Los Angeles and its many diverse cultures and subcultures. It’s a homage to the city of angels and its people. The name “FAKE L.A.” originates from the idea that many “Los Angelinos” are not born natives of the city. The result is a city that is booming with its own culture and uniqueness not found in any other city in the world.
Q: Have you always been interested in designing, or was it just an idea that came to you?
A: I had no real interest in designing. I kind of fell into it. I worked with a designer who had agreed that I’d set the aesthetic and the tone of the company, taking care of the business side, as he would design. Unfortunately, or fortunately, he decided to leave for L.A. to become an actor, forcing me to take the time to try my hand at design. I’ve always had an eye for good and bad design, I just never tried to do it myself. Long story short, for one year I read tutorials online, talked to friends in the art world and watched YouTube videos on how to use Photoshop and Illustrator. Low and behold it paid off!
Q: How did you get your brand, FAKE L.A., in such a big name store, Kitson?!
A: Well, originally we visited the store multiple times to spy on the other brands. We wanted to figure out what materials they were using, what they did well and what they could improve on. We took that information and ran with it. One time we visited and found out the manager of the store was in and decided to pitch our brand right then and there. Their buyers visited us a couple months later at the MAGIC trade show, and the rest is history.
Q: Where do you get your inspiration from?
A: Music for the most part. I keep most of my ideas on my Blackberry and at any random times of the day I may be writing a metaphor or a music lyric I’ve heard to use as inspiration for a design. As with the rest of the art and design world go, of course like all other artists we’re all stealing from each other and re-working it into something new. I really just want people to look at the designs and have their own inner monologue to what it means!
Q: Who is FAKE L.A. available to?
A: Actually, FAKE L.A. creates both men and women’s clothing. Recently, we have expanded to more appealing cuts to women like deep V’s, U-neck tees etc. All with 100% or blends of cottons and modals.
Q: If any celebrity could be seen wearing your clothes, who would you want to be repping FAKE L.A.?
A: Well, Trey Songz actually wore a shirt to the BET Awards this year, which was pretty amazing! We later found out he bought all of the designs we had available at the Kitson store in Beverly Hills. Aside from Trey, we are targeting the young Hollywood or young Hollywood-minded crowd. It doesn’t really matter who they are, as long as they’re shooting for the stars, we hope to be their uniform!
Q: Walking around campus, what can we usually find you wearing?
A: A FAKE L.A. hat, a FAKE L.A. Shirt, red shoes and Levi jeans, until we have our own (which we are working on).
Q: Have you seen students wearing your clothes? If so, what do you do?
A: Yes I have! I tell them “Nice shirt” or “Nice hat” and proceed to take a picture with them without permission, quickly followed by an apology.
Q: Any new, exciting projects that you can give us the DL on?
A: Well, we continually seek out new materials and cuts to work with. We’re also always on the lookout for new manufacturers from shoes to jeans etc.
Q: What is the future for your designing career?
A: Aside from this, I really hope to work with other brands in collaborations as a designer. Marc Jacobs has it made and I’d like to follow that path. Having your own label and working with LV has got to be pretty exciting. I’ve had some experience with interior decorating and would like to work with hotels as well.
Q: What advice do you have for other students wanting to get a line started?
A: Read as much as you can about what you want to do. Study the market and make sure you price accordingly, but don’t price too low. Price really has a lot to do with perception! The best advice I can really give is to just go for it and be willing to make mistakes. Goodness, I’ve made mistakes and I will continue to make them, but if I’m learning from them than I can live with that.
Check out all the amazing looks FAKE L.A. has to offer at: http://www.fake-la.com/
Follow them on Twitter: @FakeLA
Like them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/FAKE-LA/46922343984