Hipster fashion comes full circle

Paul Clinton

Paul Frank’s new retail store, which opened at South Coast Plaza on

Saturday, joins a cluster of other clothiers that cater to Orange

County’s hipster youths.

Frank’s ironic, deadpan monkey logo has caught fire with mostly

fashion-conscious young women, who wear it embroidered on wallets,

T-shirts, pajamas and other gear.

The South Coast Plaza store is Frank’s second in the area, set in

a shopping center he headed to as a child to “pick up the ritzy

stuff.”

“It’s one of the coolest malls in the whole world,” Frank said

Saturday, amid a phalanx of teeny-boppers who turned out for the

opening. “I hate even to use the word mall. It’s so much more.”

Frank’s first retail outlet opened on the Costa Mesa-Newport Beach

border, at 960 W. 16th St., in the late 1990s. Paul Frank Industries,

which is also based in Costa Mesa, began manufacturing the apparel in

1997.

The South Coast Plaza location is his 13th store. He has opened

others in London, Tokyo, New York City and other cosmopolitan cities.

His 1,500-square-foot store at Orange County’s premier shopping

center is something of a departure from form. Instead of designing

the look and layout of the store himself, as he has done in the past,

Frank hired an architect. Giorgio Borruso & Alessandro Design won the

contract.

The store is in to a section of the center that is quickly

becoming a center for youth apparel. Diesel, Miss Sixty, HUGO Hugo

Boss, Traffic and Puma are nearby.

“Paul Frank is a great addition to our store mix at South Coast

Plaza,” spokeswoman Debra Gunn Downing said. “It’s young. It’s hip.

It’s a very hot brand.”

Paul Frank should fit right in with the gaggle of other hipster

retailers selling youth culture in the area, which was dubbed “Velcro

Valley” by Time Magazine in a 1999 article.

“It’s something that has stuck,” said Bill Sharp, who promotes big

wave surfing events. “It’s one of the things that truly has had a

national and global influence.”

A handful of companies emerged from 1960s surf culture. In the

mid-1970s, surfers Jeff Hakman and Bob “Buzz” McNight opened a small

warehouse in Newport Beach to sell board shorts. The company became

Quiksilver Inc. After 12 years in Costa Mesa, the company moved to

Huntington Beach in 1999.

Irvine-based Billabong USA can also trace its roots to Costa Mesa.

In 1998, company chief Bob Hurley left to form Hurley International

in the city. Oregon-based apparel titan Nike Inc. purchased the

company in 2002, but Hurley is still in town.

“There are some big board companies that are inspired by the surf

and board culture,” said David Unter, a retail expert at Deloitte &

Touche’s Costa Mesa office. “It’s a pretty close-knit culture.”

In addition to surf wear, a string of skate wear and gear

companies have sprouted up.

Volcom Boardwear, ABC Board Supply and Vision Sports supply

hard-edged apparel to those with a predilection for skating.

“You can classify Costa Mesa as an incubator city [for these

businesses],” said Ed Fawcett, president of the Costa Mesa Chamber of

Commerce. “Some of the smaller ones start up, then expand and leave

the area.”

Frank’s store joins a short list of high-profile apparel makers

that have branched away from the surf and skate worlds and still

fared well in the youth market.

Italian designer Mossimo Giannulli started Mossimo Inc. on Balboa

Island in 1995 with an emphasis on swimwear and volleyball wear. In

2000, the company sold exclusive licensing rights for its products to

Target Corp.

Johnny Lucero started Johnny Suede in Costa Mesa in 1996,

launching a line of rockabilly-inspired T-shirts, hats and other

clothing. Lucero has shifted his clothing line to a more blue-collar,

motorcycle-riding sensibility.

“There’s such a variety coming out of Orange County,” Lucero said.

“[Paul Frank] is more the coffee-shop crowd, the artsy-fartsy crowd.”

Lucero, Sharp and others agreed that Orange County’s image has

shifted. The county is now the epicenter of cutting-edge youth

clothing, they said.

“This area used to be about the yuppie yacht clubber,” Sharp said.

“A lot of it was started by guys who lived and surfed in Newport

Beach.”

* PAUL CLINTON covers the environment, business and politics. He

may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

[email protected].