We showed the brand for the first time in public at Inspiration LA.
It made its return this year after a four-year break (the last was in 2019). People who share a love of vintage clothing, vintage dealers, and some of the best “Made in USA” or “Made in Japan” brands come from around the world to be there.
Three weeks before the event, my partner, Frank, had the idea of doing the show. Without much time to decide if we were ready, he got cracking on building our booth and I hammered down to make sure we had some of our newest samples ready to show.
There’s a little bit of nervousness showing your work in a space where some of the best garments made in the last 100 years are present. Most people walking the show know the difference between good and not-so-good. Even though we believe in the work, you never really know how it will be received by other people who have never seen or heard about the brand before.
It was cool to see the empty space transformed into our own ATH world. We filled the racks and shelves showcasing our past and recent pieces and displayed new F/W samples for everyone to see and touch. One of these key pieces was our oversized, cropped crewneck. The hand-drawn logo graphic features our new ATH dragon and hot air balloon. It has a great deal of processing and staining resembling an old, worn out, vintage sweatshirt from the 1940s-50s. It was the centerpiece for our booth and I’m really proud of how the garment turned out.
Throughout the weekend, people who we met for the first time came and stopped by, and it really made us reflect on how we started back in 2020. We’ve come a long way in three years. With minimal experience in the industry, we jumped in – trying to create some of the most unique interpretations of the clothes we both grew up loving. Not one step of this has been easy. But seeing people at the booth who have never seen or heard of ATH before and be blown away – meant that all the hours of work were well worth it.
Creating art is something that’s driven me from a young age. Having strangers appreciate the details of that is battery charging. From that moment doors opened to the very last hour of the show, and the positive responses from shoppers, brand owners, and industry veterans, our first show gave us what we needed: affirmation that we’re on the right path.
Inspiration reminded me that there is value in the old way of doing things. There’s only so much a product or styled photo can do online. Because we carefully choose every piece of fabric, button, fit, and detail, it’s one of the things that we want people to experience in person.
From myself, Frank, and my wife Grace, who has been helping us manage the web store and logistics, we thank you for your continued support and love for All Time High. There are a lot of exciting pieces to come this year. We’ll be sharing those with you soon.
- Ex
