Luke Tadashi wouldn’t call Bristol, the men’s wear line he creates with Tommy Nowels, streetwear, but he’s not sure how he would identify it.
“I think it’s somewhere between streetwear, contemporary and athletic, but it’s also timeless,” said Tadashi, a 24-year-old New York University graduate who studied at The New School’s Parsons School of Design for a bit.
Bristol’s fluidity is its main appeal, and while both streetwear and the West Coast aesthetic have been trending at retail, Tadashi and Nowels, who grew up together on Bristol Avenue in Los Angeles, are pushing these ideas forward.
Their second collection, which made its debut at New York Fashion Week: Men’s last month, drew from their California roots and the new dress code NBA stars from the early Aughts — Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson — were forced to adhere to. This translated to classic pieces — sweatsuits, bowling shirts, graphic T-shirts and hoodies — that were elevated with Japanese fabrics. They juxtaposed these items with more fashion-forward pieces such as cropped plaid trousers, shearling coats and bomber jackets.
The line is designed by the twentysomething that many brands are trying to target, which is perhaps why it already is resonating with stores such as American Rag and Fred Segal in Japan.