Alternative Apparel Blog

The Alternative Apparel Café & Style Lab during 2011's SXSW

This past weekend, we crashed into Austin for SXSW 2011 and took over the legendary Moonshine Bar and Grill, transforming it into the Alternative Apparel Café.  The café was a three day event which provided a cool spot for performing artists, media folks and VIPs to enjoy some rest and relaxation, as well as lunch and drinks, including UV Vodka, Asahi beer, Zico coconut water and Cafe Bustelo coffee products.  Next to the café, we set up the Style Lab, where your favorite artists could browse through Alternative's spring collection and try on clothes to enhance their Austin street style.  VH1 and Karmaloop TV were also on site for some exclusive interviews during the event.  Moby, Chromeo, Toro Y Moi, Duran Duran, American Idol's Crystal Bowersox, Perez Hilton, Nicole Atkins, Acrylics, Fitz & The Tantrums, Oh Land, Linda Perry... well, that's just a short list.  If you want to see more photos from the event and see who else dropped by, check out our SXSW photo album on Facebook!

×Jarod Jones

Season of Change: Fall 2011 Runway Show

Earlier this week, we unveiled our new fall collection in a presentation at Palihouse in West Hollywood. Inspired by natural elements, the event showcased our latest head-to-toe looks for fall 2011, including organic bags, cozy outerwear and chunky sweater knits in autumnal hues, organic prints and weathered washes. The show also featured a performance by L.A.’s Silverlake Chorus and music by DJ Donovan Leitch. Alternative fans Sara Paxton, Jesse Metcalfe, Brooke Nevin, Elizabeth Chambers, Grey Damon, Hunter Parrish, Traver Rains, Grant Bowler, Avo Yermagyan, Rachel Smith and Maya Cluchey turned out to show their support and catch a glimpse of our latest goods. Stay tuned for more on the fall collection, launching this August!

×Melissa Metcalf

Get Alter•NAUT•ive for Spring

Are you ready to set sail? Alternative is getting into spring with bold nautical stripes in fresh blues, reds and pastels.  Stripes seem to reappear year after year, but we don't mind; we love to think about a cool breeze and a cruise along the seas.  We think about the early days of Coco Chanel when she would spend time yachting in the South of France and draw design inspiration from the uniforms of sailors.    

The Comic's Craft: Q&A with Scott Aukerman

We accidentally became friends with Scott Aukerman during our event at ComicCon last year.  After handing him a pair of our snazzy promo glasses, I asked if he’d let me take a picture of him to share with our Twitter followers.  His wife Kulap added that they’d share it on Twitter, too, because “he has, like, 10,000 followers on Twitter.”  I laughed and made a silly face, asking how he happened to have ten thousand followers.  I then learned (as you are now learning) that this friendly, unassuming guy is a comedian. And a writer, producer, director, actor, err... everything.  Remember Mr. Show, the sketch comedy program starring Bob Odenkirk and a pre-Tobias Funke David Cross?  Well, Scott was a writer for that show.  Or maybe you’ve seen the hilarious interview series Between Two Ferns starring Zach Galifianakis?  Well, Scott is a writer (and director!) for that show.  He's been behind the scenes making you laugh all these years and you didn't even know it.  He’s currently got a special on the Independent Film Channel (IFC) in which he interviews his fellow comedians about their seminal works.

Here at Alternative, we appreciate creativity and craftsmanship in every form.  You may see a stand-up comedian and think “Oh hey, this guy’s funny” but you don’t necessarily see the time and effort that goes into an effortlessly delivered punchline.  For a comedian, humor is more than a witty comeback or a practical joke – it’s a craft.  It’s an art form.  We chatted with Scott and asked about the serious business of being funny.

Burnout Woven: The Alternative Denim

Denim has been a solid staple of the casual wardrobe for decades now; a pair of denim jeans is as iconic as the "plain white tee" or the "little black dress." But denim is more than just a weekend staple; what’s truly exciting about denim is its ability to work for any look or any occasion, from dressy to casual, from preppy to boho. Our talented, innovative design team here at Alternative has developed a denim alternative: Burnout Wovens.  We've applied our classic burnout process to a woven cotton/poly blend, which yields a fabric that looks like denim with the feel and drape of silk.  We can't get enough! And for a little history on our favorite fabric, check out the Evolution of Burnout.

Alternative Sprouts Up on Abbot Kinney

 
 
Arguably one of the Los Angeles area’s most popular destinations for shopping, dining and nightlife, Venice’s Abbot Kinney Boulevard embodies the diverse, high-low culture and casual, laidback lifestyle that drives people in droves to the West Coast. Set against the uniquely appealing backdrop of Venice Beach, the lively neighborhood is both edgy and elegant; an eclectic hippie-meets-hipster mix of stately homes and modest bungalows, delectable eateries and dive bars, thrift stores and top-rated boutiques—all of which make it the perfect community for Alternative’s first flagship retail store.