If you noticed a lull in the amount of fashionable souls roaming South Beach today, you may be a chic stalker. But your criminal proclivities aside, you’re pretty observant; the fashionistas were probably resting after a long weekend of being fly. Yesterday marked the end of the Trafik Tradeshow, a bi-annual tryst between clothing buyers and brands that hit the Miami Beach Conventino Center with fashion industry chic-sters, flowing wine, and pounding club music. This year’s show included labels you know like Christian Audiger, L.A.M.B., and Just Cavalli, but sprinkled in between were brands that you need to know like Diety, FP Jeans and others.
Another line that should be on your list of one to look out for is Gangstirrock, helmed by actor/comedian/writer Orlando Jones. The graphics and colors make the designs edgy, but the use of organic materials like bamboo and cotton make them totally wearable at the same time. The line of men’s and women’s street wear was inspired by a band with the same name that like the clothing, found a way to mix up a little funk with a bit of hip hop add a lot of rock and roll and come up with the hottest sound your ears have been blessed with in a while.
The clothes definitely have an easy-going yet modern LA vibe, but as Orlando told us, they still scream Miami style. “I feel like what people wear here is very rock n roll in a lot of ways. It’s very hip-hop, very sexy and its not just beachwear, you know people aren’t just going, ‘Get me to Quiksilver,’” he said. Gangstir Rock fits into the Miami style simply because the way we’re approaching the line, we’re making it very comfortable, sexy stuff. Stuff that you can literally go from the beach, and then go out in and not have to go home and change clothes. You could go freshen up but you could actually leave there and go there and not have people look at you like, ‘Girl what’s wrong with you?’.”
The name Gangstir Rock literally means “Stirring a new mix into music and fashion,” and we like what Orlando is cooking. -- Raina McLeod
