A male model looks cool in a blue Fillmore Windbreaker, South of Market Dress Shirt and plaid tie.
A line wrapped around the block at Horizon Ultra Lounge in North Beach on Saturday night for the official launch of San Francisco-based men’s clothing line Prolific 54 Apparel, a company that offers stylish (yet affordable) clothing for sophistication-seeking men.
A female model sporting the Laurel Heights Long Sleeve Plaid Shirt and little else.
“We love our Gucci loafers, but we also love our Vans. That’s what makes it so important for us to have our wardrobe be versatile enough,” says Prolific 54 co-founder John Wang.
Prolific 54 Apparel was started by friends John Wang, Jonathan Tam, Alvin Chan and Nick Pham, all of whom say they share a passion for style and design. Inspired by San Francisco and the fast-paced “work hard, play hard” lifestyle of city dwellers, the designers searched high and low to find just the right fabrics to make socially-responsible clothing that guys really want to wear.
“All of our clothes in various combinations could be would be worn for a wide variety of occasions,” Wang says of the label’s style. “They were designed for the young professional in mind. For instance, if one of our customers wanted to wear our our Fillmore jacket to work, the hood could be rolled into the collar and worn over a dress shirt with one of our ties, and one of our white crew necks as an under shirt. Once they were off work, meeting a few buddies at their favorite bar, they could easily throw on a snap back cap, take off the dress shirt and tie, roll out the hood and wear it with our white crew neck. This look instantly goes from work to play within a couple of seconds.”
The South of Market Dress Shirt meets the Tenderloin Jacket.
For the launch event, the velvet ropes of Studio 54 came to mind as men and women stood dressed to the nines outside, waiting to get the party started. Inside, DJs A-Plus and B-Simple were warming up the atmosphere with fun early-90s club jams and Top 40 hits while event-goers sipped champagne in exclusive VIP booths.
Hey, a little Jersey-minded style has its place, as with the Marina Short Sleeve Plaid Shirt shown here.
The fashion show was an exciting mix of modern shapes and patterns, with looks ranging from ultra-light windbreakers to raw denim and colorful plaid button-up shirts. Male models strutted on the makeshift catwalk that coursed through the club and were joined by lingerie-clad female models wearing Prolific 54 button downs and jackets and not much else. Bright colors, sharp patterns, partial nudity, slick jackets, fun neckties, classic button-ups, big Jersey-style hair and feather earrings all added up to create an exciting show in line with the Saturday night club vibe.
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Photography courtesy of Mike Borja
