photo by:Chuck Espinoza

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lmer Ave is the brand for the guy who wants a little punk with his hip Brit. Johnny Day, Ward Robinson, Sean Murphy and Colin Pulsipher are the fierce foursome behind Elmer Ave, and their roots are deeply planted in the LA rock scene.

Elmer Ave has been on the backs of many rock bands such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Def Leopard, Motley Crue, and Panic at the Disco. The bands go straight to these guys to create a full custom line of clothing – shirts, vests, jackets, the works – for their tours. As no two jackets or shirts are ever alike, it’s signature rock-star style.

Day and Murphy, individualists out of the gate, were looking for threads for their own band, Numchuck. Pulsipher suggested some spray painting. Robinson, a stylist and a fellow rocker from the band The Scene, chimed in, and the line was born.

“We were looking for pieces that represented what we are, that early punk rock look of The Clash and the New York Dolls,” says muse man Day.

Most men’s clothes don’t fit an inspired guy’s style or size if he’s in a band, so deconstruction became their function. “What once was a limitation became our inspiration,” explains Day.

LA was a gold mine for sourcing their oldies but goodies; many tuxedo, leather and velvet jackets, 80’s tux and button shirts were reworked to build their young business. They reconstructed with their signature tailoring and paint process to make their own looks.

This past year, Elmer Ave launched a new production, working from the ground up on their line.

“It’s not flashy. It’s artistically inspired, tailored clothing. It’s very British,” says Day.

They have three different fits on their jackets; the Blazer is the longest and slimmest; the Tuxedo is shorter in length and sleeve and a wee bit dandy; and the Velvet jacket – which is “the dandiest of them all,” according to Day.

Every member of the design team works on each piece at one point.

“We are four individuals with four different opinions, but somehow it works,” says Day. “We struggle though the creative process, but what we end up with is a cool representation of that process.”

The group thinks and acts as much like a band as they do a design team. “We love and hate each other, but we respect each other most of all,” says Day.

www.elmerave.com

Article & Interview By Karen Loftus