Returning to Los Angeles after time away in London and New York City, designer Boy Kloves is ready to launch the next great American menswear line—and it’s inspired by California heritage. Boy Kloves’ new collection is a tidal wave of energetic prints and slouchy shapes that epitomize the surfboard lifestyle and beach culture.
After receiving a degree from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, as well as gaining experience with brands like Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Jason Wu, and Bode, Boy Kloves has big plans for his namesake brand. The designer stated in an interview with PAPER, “I want to synthesize the techniques and care for craft I learned there, with this love of classic resort wear, to create new vibrant and exciting menswear that can be those standout pieces in someone’s wardrobe.”
As a true Californian, Boy Kloves expressed California’s beach culture as an integral part of his heritage.
“Surf culture has always been such a big part of my life, in and out of design. Growing up by the beach, this aesthetic of surf culture has been integral to the way I view clothing and the idea of dressing up,” he said.
For his first collection, the designer showcases his exploration of the history of The Golden State’s surf lifestyle, “taking Endless Summer iconography and looking at it through a contemporary lens,” the designer explains.
Boy Kloves stated, “While designing this season, I looked at vintage ads from my own archive of ’70s surfer magazines, mixing it with silhouettes of cruise wear popularized on TV shows like The Love Boat. As a kid, growing up at the beach in California, it always crept into the way I myself dressed. In elementary school, I wore my wetsuit shoes to school with my uniform and have been an avid collector of classic Hawaiian shirts for years. Now in my twenties, I’m putting that to work in our first season.”
The end result is a collection that is a clear reflection of California’s bohemian vibes, which Boy Kloves described as an interpretation of ‘70s California surf culture with a modern twist.
The new collection features a lineup of button-down shirts made from upcycled vintage tops patchworked together, with textiles ranging from vintage Hawaiian fabric, deadstock terry cloth, sand, and hand-painted silks used as some of the construction materials, as Boy Kloves is dedicated to sustainability and crafting everything in Southern California. Customers can also find color-blocked sweaters and halters made from recycled surfboards that were donated by surfboard makers.
The designer said that after being away from his roots for so many years, it was “incredibly inspiring being able to reintroduce myself to the city. It felt natural that surfing, something that I hold so closely to my idea of home, would be the jumping off point for the collection.”
Being away from Los Angeles only further grew Boy Kloves’ love for California’s distinctive style, which can be seen not only in the designs of his clothing, but the phrases used on some of the tops, which state: “If I swim out far enough and look back at the shore will you be the person I remember.”
With the “laidback ease of the beach” resonating with him after paging through magazines, according to Kloves, the designer was inspired by the incorporation of beach culture with formalwear. “Hawaiian shirts and tank tops were worn under baggy suits, some [models] went shirtless, or wore just a flower lei,” he said.
“That is really something that I sought to do here: juxtapose mens’ shirting with the ease of something that you would just throw on after being at the beach, using luxurious silks contrasted with Hawaiian prints and terry cloth,” the designer added.
