Victorious 22

Victorious 22 (V22LA) is a Los Angeles-based fashion line specializing in denim and leather jackets, pants, purses, and accessories. V22 was started in 2010 by Frank Rodriguez and his wife Angela.

History and overview
Rj Mitte modeling V22 clothing line

Frank Rodriguez got his start as a designer in the 1980s, designing leather jackets and selling them to stores on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.[1] It was around this time that Angela Smith was making hand-sewn bags and bone jewelry, which she also sold in stores on Melrose Avenue and other boutique shops throughout Los Angeles.[2]

Being a lifelong rider and builder of bikes and cars, Rodriguez gained notoriety for his luxe custom bikes as owner and operator of Excalibur Choppers.[3][4]

After leaving the world of custom bike building, Rodriguez and Smith started V22LA out of a small Hollywood apartment with a collection for men, using high quality denim, selvedge denim, and hand-picked leather. The line expanded into jewelry, objets d’art, and hand-made items for the home. The couture women's line came along in 2012, which included bags, motorcycle jackets and jewelry in the vein of punk rock, bohemian and rock 'n roll style.

Expansion

V22LA began in a small North Hollywood apartment and later expanded to a 7000- square feet show room and compound. The company plans to bring all manufacturing to the other floors of the building which it now occupies in the fashion district of Downtown Los Angeles, so that all production will be in-house. V22LA has turned down offers to manufacture in the developing world. The company decided to keep operations within the US, with ambitions of becoming exporters of high end apparel to overseas markets.[3]

A storefront in Tokyo, Japan was opened in 2011. The company plans to expand into the China marketplace by the end of 2015.

Reception

Victorious 22 clothing line has been featured in numerous publications and art magazines, including: Dark Beauty,[3] Rolling Stone, Astonish,[5] Inked, This is Rock Spain,[6] Easyriders,[7] Biker,[4] Etro Japan,[8] Relapse,[9] Sorbet,[10] and a Corona Beer advertisement.

The apparel line has gained the attention of rock stars and musicians, including: Steve Vai, Dylan McDermott, Sylvester Stallone, Orlando Bloom, Steve Lukather of Toto, Robert Trujillo of Metallica, Usher, Chris Brown, Future, Nicole Murphy, Columbus Short, and RJ Mitte.[3]

V22LA signed on to create clothing for the TV series Sons of Anarchy,[7] in which Smith appears in 2 seasons of episodes.

V22LA works with the Claire's Place Foundation, a cystic fibrosis organization,[11] and hosted the 2014 Boot Campaign Boot Bash.[12]

References
  1. Hollywood (May–June 2003). "This East LA Boy Knows his Toyz". Crossroads Magazine.
  2. "Victorious 22". Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  3. Topher, Adam (Fall 2013). "RJ Mitte is Breaking Bad". Dark Beauty (23).
  4. Rapper (August 1997). "The Legend of Graystroker". Biker (149): 46–52.
  5. Gomilla, Ashley (2014). "Astonish" (2): 87–92. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. "V22 Los Angeles". Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  7. Kress, Joe (June 2014). "Pure Hollywood". Easyriders (158): 46.
  8. Product Listing (May 2014). "BMF Belt Buckle, Cuff and Ring". Etro Japan (5): 225.
  9. "The New Flesh". Relapse. Spring–Summer 2014.
  10. "The Little Black Book". Sorbet. 1 (2): 202. Winter 2013–2014.
  11. "Claire's Place Foundation". clairesplacefoundation.org. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  12. "Boot Campaign". bootcampaign.org. Retrieved 2023-03-30.

External links

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