Think of any famous designer and the first thing that comes to mind is the signature item that made them iconic. Diane Von Furstenberg’s wrap dress, Coco Chanel’s wool suit, Calvin Klein’s denim—each provided the foundation on which its creator built an empire. So unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past year, you probably know that the name Brian Lichtenberg has become synonymous with a particular article of clothing made famous by electro-pop singer M.I.A.
“I don’t want to be pigeonholed as the hologram leggings designer,” Lichtenberg says while finalizing plans for his forthcoming Oct. 17 show at L.A. Fashion Week. “I never want to stop using hologram material in my stage-wear designs, but I have been doing other things with my line for some time now.”
Reminiscent of a pre-Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs, Lichtenberg seems to have it all—a flourishing brand name synonymous with all things bright and futuristic, a bevy of celebrity customers including Katy Perry and Kanye West, an upcoming show at L.A. Fashion Week destined to be the hottest ticket in town, and good looks to boot. So why is he asking for more? Lichtenberg puts it plainly. “People always assume that I have a lot of money, and I totally understand how an outsider might think that, but I don’t,” he says. “I don’t have backing, I don’t have a publicist, and I don’t have a design studio or a showroom. I do all my own press; all the clothes are made in my apartment; and everything else gets done through friends, connections and word of mouth. It’s all very grass-roots.”
While it might be surprising to learn the Lichtenberg label has yet to secure a financial investor, it’s equally unexpected, given his insistence on independence, that an investor is exactly what Lichtenberg wants. Indeed, here’s something as shocking as Clay Aiken coming out of the closet: Lichtenberg isn’t showing at Smashbox Studios next week.
“I’ve never been one to be a part of, or associate myself with that,” the 29-year-old designer declares. “I’ve always wanted to do something off-site, on my own schedule.” When prodded as to why, he vents his frustration: “I just don’t feel [Smashbox] is a good representation of the talent in Los Angeles. Companies that have deep pockets, like Juicy Couture and Nicky Hilton, push their velour tracksuits and sequin tank tops to the forefront when they really shouldn’t even be on the runway. They should be at a trade show. It’s kind of a joke; I mean, a lot of people think of L.A. Fashion Week as a joke.”
It’s a statement as cliched as faux lesbianism: L.A. Fashion Week sucks. If rumors prove true that sponsors IMG and Smashbox Studios will part ways after this season, designers like Lichtenberg may eventually find themselves looking back on these days fondly—when Fashion Week provided a reason to have a show and when the line between creative and commercial clothing was so clearly defined.
So what can we expect this season from the avant-garde designer who recently unveiled a colorful paint-drip dress design and who made his first dress out of FedEx envelopes? “It’s going to be a mix of sex and couture,” he says. “It’s definitely going to have a very grown-up vibe to it. It’s streetwear adorned with couture elements such as tulle, lace, silk and pearls. These materials incorporate a high-end twist on my futuristic designs.”
While the untrained eye might not see Lichtenberg’s influence on modern fashion, one could submit the futuristic electro-tribal aesthetic of nearly every modestly priced clothing store from American Apparel to H&M as evidence to the contrary. Although the reach of his work extends far beyond L.A.’s borders, Lichtenberg remains humble. “I definitely see other designers and labels doing things that I’ve done in the past, or even just a season before,” he says. “I think it’s just that everyone feeds off of the same sources creatively.”
It’s an astonishingly simple explanation from a designer whose work is as complex as the shiny post-apocalyptic aesthetic he unofficially owns.
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Marcos Luevanos is Style editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
