THE POWER OF FASHION

from Strike Magazine Gainesville Issue 07

by Strike Magazines

PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER

three gainesville designers sweeping the city

BY SARA FAJARDO

Designers today are met with consumers who follow trends at lightning speed. However, these trends fall out of favor as fast as they arrive. The endless ways in which designers can market their brands to the world, particularly through social media platforms, have opened the door and ushered in the limelight, as everyone can create a space with the potential to reach millions.

Therein lies the catch: A designer today has infinite ways of attracting a diverse group of consumers, but they must have their finger on the pulse of what’s trending to find success for their brand.

Lastcall

“I haven’t been normal in a while.” This is a sentiment inscribed on pieces from Lastcall’s recent drops and the words Mr. X left to linger after his interview. Lastcall is a fashion brand like no other, resonant with consumers for being elusive.

It was created by Mr. X around five years ago. As a recent high school graduate, he had finally found his people, whom he affectionately calls his “homies.” They are a group of creatives who live together, plan events, make music, design clothes and create art.

X wears blinders, creating only what flows out of the river of his imagination. He is inspired by knowledge, learning and the communities formed through his work. The creative can often be found watching YouTube videos, teaching himself new skills or learning about different concepts, which helps him generate ideas. Mr. X hosts pop-ups around the country, and he is soon to take his talents to California, Canada and New York City to continue fostering community and selling his work.

Lastcall’s pieces include oversized shirts and pants with custom words sewn onto the sleeves or leg panels. Flames stitched across the front of a shirt or dollar bills painted on pant pockets are commonplace. There is a blend between popular culture and the brand’s signatures; the front of the tote bags are embroidered with Pokémon cards while the bag is spray-painted with flames, and his latest jacket features a collage of spray-painted Yankees logos in fluorescent pink. X recognizes “the grind” as his motivator, unearthing his new ideas.

Frayed Label

One word, two syllables, perpetual meaning: SZA.

It was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when Sean Childers, desperate to escape the clouds of boredom, took up sewing and posted his first project on Instagram: a crew neck with SZA’s “Ctrl’’ album cover hand-sewn across the front. The style was auspicious, as loungewear would soon be remembered as the pinnacle of 2020 quarantine fashion. Every detail was stitched to the perfect color, cut and size. The design was propitious, and it served as Childers’s golden ticket to creating his brand, Frayed Label. SZA saw the design on his Instagram, and she reached out with praise and a request for her own. Childers described this moment as his biggest success with the brand so far.

“Getting to network with SZA and make stuff for her family has been amazing,” he said. After SZA reposted his design, Childers woke up to 3,000 more followers and started Frayed Label to market to his new following. Each crew neck, which often features popular album covers, takes two to three hours to produce. Childers has also expanded into accessories with tote bags and pillows, which illustrate beloved album covers like “Positions’’ and “After Hours’’ through slightly textured stitching. He includes these pieces in a monthly raffle and donates the money to Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a nonprofit civil rights organization. When envisioning the future of Frayed Label, Childers sees infinite possibilities, as he aspires to one day transform his online market into a physical store.

Livvy’s Threads

Something old, something new. Something borrowed, something blue. While traditionally separate entities, Liv Vitale’s custom pieces fuse these concepts into one within her fashion brand, Livvy’s Threads. Livvy’s Threads is the 20-year-old’s passion project turned Instagram fashion brand.

Vitale began thrifting about 2 ½ years ago with a focus on repurposing items rather than discovering them. The young designer describes her brand today as “vintage, reworked clothing, accessories and art.” All pieces are crafted to fit current trends, yet they retain a vintage flair. They’re timeless compared to commercial brands, more sustainable than fast-fashion companies and more unique than untouched thrift store finds. From painted sneakers to redesigned lingerie and crowd-pleasing graphic T-shirts, buyers gush over Livvy’s Threads.

Many pieces are also a nod to designer brands, as Vitale originally sought to recreate expensive pieces she adored. However, the surge in thrifting has inspired Vitale to create one-of-a-kind pieces to shine among the herd.

“The biggest challenge today is probably the oversaturation of vintage clothing companies, as thrifting is so popular now,” she explained. “You can’t find my pieces anywhere else.” As an aspiring fashion designer, the collegiate entrepreneur sees Livvy’s Threads as only the first step to a prosperous career. “Seeing people wear my clothes is super exciting and rewarding and pushed me to continue,” she said. “I hope to grow bigger, expand and do more of what I love.”