Searching for a perfect pair of jeans off the rack is a lot like looking for your soul mate on the Internet: You know it’s highly unlikely you'll succeed, but that doesn't stop you from trying. Inevitably, even a near-perfect pair will run long in the leg or fall below your anti-plumber’s-crack standards. The design trio behind menswear boutique
Front St., featuring house brand
Endovanera, offers an end to the hunt for immaculate denim. David Michael Hershberger, Cole Waterhouse and Olga Nazarova, all under 26, craft clothing reminiscent of what Johnny Depp would wear in his Winona phase.
Located in a shadowy
Echo Park enclave (is there any other kind?) Front St. has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it exterior marked by a simple sign in its front window. Inside, minimalist racks cradle handcrafted button-ups, fitted trousers, military jackets and the holy grail of attire—custom-made denim. A closer look reveals the ornate detailing that is Endovanera’s hallmark, found in drooping shirttails and fitted pants that channel Oliver Twist (one of Hershberger’s most visible influences). Imagine the sartorial lovechild of a Victorian gentleman and a hoodie-sporting slacker.
Industrial lights rescued from a salvage yard illuminate the severe collection, which favors a puritanical black-and-gray color palette. Hershberger cites Japanese vampire comics as a major source of inspiration. “After reading them, all of a sudden everything I do for that week is very dark,” he says with a laugh.
If looking underworldly isn’t your thing, take it up with Waterhouse. He constructs all Front St.'s custom orders, including jeans made from scratch, and completes the work in-house.
“You can choose any of our existing styles, or create one of your own,” Waterhouse says as he taps his stained indigo kicks against the store’s varnished concrete floor. “If you have an existing jacket and you want another one, I can do that too.”
The retail price for a custom Front St. garment might seem steep, but Waterhouse welcomes good-natured haggling. Meanwhile, items sold under the Endovanera label range from about $70 for shirts to $550 for jackets. For the ladies of Los Angeles, the design team is currently working on a women’s line, set to launch this summer. The collection will include “dresses, skirts and eveningwear that’s both flowy and sexy,” according to the model-beautiful Nazarova, who is in charge of womenswear at Front St.
"I'm sure we'll get some guys wearing the girl stuff too," Hershberger smirks. "We'll let you do that," Nazarova replies.
While he may not be sporting a dress anytime soon, Hershberger does plan to call on designer chums to feature their one-of-a-kind collections at the store. Where do the trio see themselves fitting in the L.A. fashion scene? "We’re intentionally avoiding it," Hershberger says. "We'll just be keeping busy doing what we do."
