Preston and James
Los Angeles, California
Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do:
Evette: Preston and James
Photo Courtesy @emilynnrose
I started Preston and James in 2017 as it was time for a much needed reboot of my life and future. After working for over 20 years in the fashion and art industries it just clicked to start my own clothing line. When I first started out I was mainly sourcing vintage and had a small collection of classic knitwear. After popping up all over Los Angeles and Orange County with my brand, I started to see a need for more unique and original pieces. I started up-cycling and painting on my vintage and knitwear collections and shortly after the brand became what you see today. 80% of my collections are my one of kind, fun, up-cycled or hand-painted vintage pieces and the balance is my collection I design and either produce myself or I work with ethical factories to keep my brand sustainable.
Let us know more about your business name - how did you come up with it?
The name Preston and James comes from my last name Preston and my love for my father. He passed when I was 17 from cancer and he only had girls. I felt it fitting paying homage to him and our family name. James is a name that I've always loved; it's classic, regal and funny enough I selected it because it sounds good with Preston.
What is your signature style / item? How did it become so?
Our key item is our verbiage tees! This idea came about when I started up-cycling vintage tshirts. I was like no one had fun verbiage! I wanna put stuff like “rubba dub dub” or “eat dirt” on them and it worked. My customers loved all of them, especially since I was only making one of each!
What makes your business unique to the industry?
Preston and James stands out because I’m taking risks with my designs. I’m not afraid of painting wacky designs or putting snarky verbiage I like. In our market and time people want the weird and unique pieces, there’s just not enough brands out there doing it!
What's been your biggest roadblock when it comes to business and how have you been able to overcome?
My biggest road block was chasing so many ideas or trying to be similar to other brands thinking I needed to be more than I was to attract a crowd or grow my audience. It took me failing a couple times to realize I just needed to stay true to myself. People will like me for being me and not a wanna be someone else! It’s taken three years but I finally know what I want to PJ and couldn’t be more excited about my future.
How has your business had to adapt amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic? What are you doing to navigate the situation?
With all of our regular pop-up shows and all outdoor events all getting cancelled it was a rude awakening to the reality of my business income. It made me focus more on my online business and ways to make Preston and James more digitally friendly. Right now unfortunately there’s nothing more we can do but push online sales. Shows are starting to open back up, but I feel it will take awhile for our communities to come back out and shop in person.
Photo Courtesy of @zosiaphotography
What is your favorite part of what you do?
Engaging with customers! I miss it so much...I loved chatting about my inspiration for each piece and all the random conversations we had about anything and everything. Oh, and painting and designing of course!
What is your *must do* local activity?
I love renting bikes or a surrey from Wheel Fun Rentals in Long Beach at Shoreline Village. It's the perfect way to spend the day at the beach along with a little sunbathing and then margarita sippin at Tequila Jacks! The 4th Horseman on 4th/Pine has the best pizza, craft beer or wine in Long Beach for lunch or dinner.
Where to find Preston and James:
Online: www.prestonandjames.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prestonandjames
Facebook: www.facebook.com/prestonandjames