Refocusing fashion: Los Angeles' climb up the style stakes through art

Unrestricted Los Angeles is often better known for producing fashion that is more casual and commercial friendly than cool and cutting edge. Defying this stereotype however is a group of designers whose work and working methods are more similar with the artists who have come to make L.A. a world-renowned cultural capital. These style innovators, along with several organizations in the form of event production companies, art institutions and retailers, have come to challenge the common perception of what L.A. fashion is about by playing up the art association. Through interviews and historical research, this paper examines the way these individuals and organizations work, their motives behind what they do and how they collectively attempt to show a side to L.A. fashion that is often ignored on the international fashion scene.