I don’t know much about being hip, but it’s fun to watch the young, edgy Orange County crowd have a good time.
Wednesday night I headed to Laguna Beach for the Lost fashion show thanks to an invitation from Lost President Tim Garrett. Lost, a rough-around-the-edges action sports brand in Irvine, was showing its Spring 2008 line and debuting its new juniors swim line, which PacSun is testing in stores now.
Joel Cooper, CEO and part owner of Lost International, hosted the party at his incredible house that looks like a Bali resort. (If you have the June edition of Orange County Home magazine lying around, it’s worth looking at the story I wrote about the house. The photos are amazing…Unfortunately, the story’s not online or I’d link to it.)
At the party, several drink stations were set up around the gardens and a taco stand cranked out food. A DJ kept the music loud (bet Joel’s ritzy Irvine Cove neighbors loved that!) and a runway for models jetted out over the pool. I’m not a professional photographer, but here are some shots.
I ran into Shaheen Sadeghi, owner of The Lab and The Camp shopping centers in Costa Mesa and Sean Smith of the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association. They introduced me to Michael Tomson, a revered figure in the surfing industry. He’s South African, a former professional surfer, and he and Joel started Gotcha, a ground breaking brand back in the day. (It was Joel’s success with Gotcha that helped him build his amazing house, he told me once).
Shaheen Sadhegi, Michael Tomson, Sean Smith
Industry folks always rave about Michael’s creativity and unconventional thinking.
He was open to talking to me, so I plan on calling him soon for an interview. I’ll let you know what he has to say.
Back to the fashion show: Lost broadcast the whole thing live online. Check it out here.Â
