Greg Lauren’s Label at 10: patchwork, privilege and paying it forward
Nov. 24, 2020
Text by Adam Tschorn
Greg Lauren knows the power of names. When the artist-turned-fashion designer launched his eponymous line in February 2011, it was his last name — and specifically the fact that he’s Ralph Lauren’s nephew — that helped open doors and give his meticulously sliced and spliced artisanal take on menswear early exposure.
“There is no value to celebrating being around for 10 years if I don’t use the opportunity as a platform to shine a light on these key people,” the 50-year-old designer said. “People like [sustainability expert] Dio Kurazawa, who influenced my GL Scraps program, and Fibershed’s Rebecca Burgess, who I haven’t met, but I follow her work on regenerative wool, and that’s inspired some of the pieces in my next collection.”
Over the course of a two-hour interview, Lauren, who Zoomed in from the home office space he shares with his wife of 17 years, “Showgirls” and “Saved by the Bell” actress Elizabeth Berkley, rattled off a dozen additional names, highlighting people he’s worked with. Among them were Yashua Simmons (who styled Lauren’s spring and summer 2021 look book photo shoot) and photographer Emmanuel Sanchez-Monsalve (who shot the look book) as well as designers whose work he admires, including Miko Underwood (founder of the sustainable denim brand Oak & Acorn) and Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond.
The designer said his desire to give credit where credit is due has its roots in the May 25 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. “I was deeply moved and deeply affected by Floyd’s death,” Lauren said. “And I started to look at how the African American experience has impacted me as a designer.”
Source: Los Angeles Times