Photos: The Dawn of LA's Fairfax Avenue Streetwear Scene

Our 2007 photo essay on the early days of the renowned streetwear district

URB Est. 1990

Jun 30, 2023

a red sign hanging from the side of a building — The original Fairfax mecca. Photo by Dez Hester @DezHester on Unsplash

For me, the seeds of streetwear culture on Los Angeles' now-storied Fairfax Avenue were planted during my time at Fairfax High in the 1980s. While I only attended the legendary school on the corner of Melrose Avenue and Fairfax for 12th grade, I had grown up in the streets surrounding it since my pre-teen years. My friends and I would bomb the streets and alleys on our Powell-Peralta and Alva skateboards, leaving our mark through graffiti and shoplifting, infuriating residents and business owners.

We wore tapered Dickies, slip-on checkerboard Vans, Iron Maiden T-shirts (before that was a trend), and scribed our "Skate & Destroy" placas on a green number 217 bus bench before grabbing to-go slices from Damiano's Mr. Pizza. We were the Odd Future misfits of our day, decidedly anti-establishment, fiercely creative, and unapologetic.

For those who experienced that pre-Internet era, witnessing Fairfax Avenue rise to prominence in the fashion world, rivaling the streets of Paris, may seem weird. However, by the middle of the last decade, inspired by local retail giants like Supreme and Stussy Union, along with the 90s-era boutiques Funkessentials and Triple Five Soul, the once-sleepy Fairfax District found itself thrust onto the global stage. Brands like The Hundreds and Diamond Supply would signal the new era of blogs and celebrity endorsements.

Today, the remaining elderly residents who once populated the area have faded into the background, while streetwear’s multi-billion dollar industry shares the block with a smattering of Jewish delis and thrift shops. And despite the reports, young people from all corners of the globe still make the pilgrimage to pay in gold for a sip at this cultural fountain.

In 2007, our dear friends Jessica Haye and Clark Hsiao assisted us in documenting the early stages of this explosion for URB's “150 Things We Love” issue. This has always been one of my favorite photographic essays, as it perfectly illustrates the subtle dichotomy of the area’s heritage and renaissance. I'm fairly certain this was one of the earliest print pieces to capture the district's burgeoning swagger. As always, if you appreciate what we're doing here, feel free to share with a friend, like, or comment.

Fresh for ’88,

Raymond Leon Roker

Founder, URB