Complex just released a comprehensive look at how the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles became the streetwear capital of the world, a guiding force in modern fashion culture. Writer Karizza Sanchez compiled extensive interviews with many of the icons who played pivotal roles in the meteoric rise of Fairfax, including our own Bobby Hundreds.
“When we moved in, the only players here at the time were Supreme and Reserve, which was a bookstore our friend Na’ama Givoni ran that eventually became the Freshjive flagship. There were a couple of vintage thrift shops and a hair salon named Goo on the corner of Rosewood that’s still popular, but there was nothing like streetwear, nothing street-oriented around here. One day, Ben [Shenassafar] happened to take a wrong turn and saw this huge office building that was completely empty and was for lease. Two years before that, that building had burned down. The owners rebuilt the building and needed to lease all of the spaces, so everything was cheap. Ben said, “Hey, this is a perfect spot for us. It’s in the cut.” Fairfax is pretty central to the city. We’re near Melrose and Brooklyn Projects, which was almost like a home base for us. We felt like this could be where the future for L.A. was.”