the 4 to know

What we love about these four men's designers is that they are not afraid to push boundaries! We would take one piece here + there and mix it with the California casual, such as a fantastic basic denim or a great grey or white v-neck tee. It's about figuring out how to look great whether you are going to the market or meeting peeps for drinks!

1) Rick Owens: "The men's [line] is so much different than women's. In women's, there's a playfulness…women enjoy creating allure, + a man creating allure looks a little foolish—I'm very, very aware of that. A man wants to be alluring but doesn't want anyone to know that he's trying to be. The parameters are so narrow—+ I'm not complaining, that's kind of great. It's like a very severe assignment that you have to fulfill."
Photo Courtesy of Owens Corp.

2) Julius: "[I consider my pieces] items to be worn every day. Clothes are a means of survival in the world + are designed to function as a tool—not as an article to be worn at extravagant parties."
Photo: Courtesy of Julius

3) Blaak: "This collection, Man vs. Machine, was our response to what we concluded from what was happening + what would happen. We are in a time where people have to work much more, + maybe the kind of work they shied away from, this working-class element. You're going to get your hands dirty. But if you have to work + earn your money, the satisfaction you're going to get is going to be more than just [from] e-mailing all day. The key piece for us was the donkey coat, what it represented for coal miners—having to humble yourself with a pickax and work for whatever you could get that day."
Photo: Courtesy of Blaak

4) Juun. J: designed for Chiffons, NIX, + Club Monaco before launching his own line, Lone Costume, in 1999. After showing for several seasons in Seoul, he brought his collection, rechristened Juun.J, to Paris fashion week for Spring 2008, where his blown-out take on classic tailoring has kept editors talking and forward-thinking retailers—like Seven New York—buying ever since.
Photo: Han Soo Lee