It is no news to Los Angelenos that LA is home to some of the most unique and diverse fashionistas in the US, but somehow our fair city is always overlooked when it comes to the business of fashion. When Mercedes Benz came on board to sponsor LA fashion week at Smashbox Studios, our shows were finally deemed “official.” Well, being official sucks, I tell you. I’ve avoided the whole scene for the past few seasons, unclear as to why its so damn hard to get into a venue to see so-so fashion, in a so-so local, hosted by so-so people. The whole scene just seems to get worse the bigger Smashbox becomes. Well, kids, don’t fret, there’s a new team in town: BOXeight. And they don’t disappoint.
Located in the heart of LA at Washington & Central, BOXeight was a bustle during fashion week this past month, hosting some of the most talented and well-known designers that LA has to offer. The Brian Lichtenberg show alone turned the sleepless industry streets of downtown into a neo-clad, spandex & stiletto zoo. It was what fashion lovers live for. Although I ventured to BOXeight with the intent of giving you a fashion runway review, it wasn’t the shows that stole my heart, it was BOXeight itself.
The brain child of NY transplant & fashion photog, Peter Gurnz, BOXeight was born to be “a creative space for an artist to call home, and a place that could bring the creative minds within fashion, music, and art together.” Over the past few years, Gurnz has brought together a core of 10 individuals, ranging in age from 22 to 35, who have helped make BOXeight the go-to spot of artists, musicians and designers alike looking to showcase their work in a space created especially for the downtown artists and their community. It is this collaborative energy that makes the venue come alive. A clean and uber modern loft space, cradled by an open air courtyard adorned with fruit trees, it is an oasis amid the industry of downtown, and that is where souls like us thrive.
Now boasting a relationship with a community of over 50 artists & musicians, and recently hosting its fourth season of fashion week shows, it’s obvious that the location is helping the BOXeight team thrive, too. Having already won the race to be the top during fashion week, we can’t wait to see what’s next.