If there's anything we can attest from surviving our teenage years, it's that not all rebellious behavior ends in a self-destructive downward spiral. (Right?) In fact, risky business is what inspired designers and friends Rachel Grant and Alyssa Gudino to create Bad Decision Adventure Club, a Los Angeles-based label that balances doing good while having fun being bad while resisting gender norms. (Got all of that?)
Launched just last month, the new socially-conscious brand crafts its entire line of unisex luxury basics right here in LA — and helps our city's homeless in the process. Priced from $120 for boxy tees to $240 for Velcro overalls to $300 for bomber jackets, the unisex brand donates a portion of proceeds to Skid Row Housing Trust.
Here, we chat with Grant and Gudino to find out more about the "uniluxe" brand, the It stars they'd love to see wearing BDAC's gender binary-resisting goods, and what else they've got in store. Read on below, then shop the brand's Season 1 collection line here.
How did you two meet, and what sparked the idea to create the brand?
Grant: We actually met through ex-boyfriends — we would go out all the time and early on, found out that Alyssa designed, while I went to school for product development, both for menswear. Our big thing was having a unisex brand and a luxury brand — hence uniluxe and always wanted help our LA community.
What's the story behind the brand's name?
Grant: We've traveled and partied together and wanted to have a little play on words with our brand. We want to help the environment, homelessness, and educate the consumer on the importance of being inclusive and eco-friendly. Just because you are adventurous and sometimes make bad or risky decisions, it doesn't mean that you can't care about taking care of earth and being socially aware. It's all about finding a balance of the two — having fun and helping how you can at the same time, therefore creating BDAC.
Why was it important to incorporate sustainability into the line?
Grant: We want to do our part as a brand to help combats climate change and show people that it's easy and cool to be environmentally conscious!
What inspired you to team with SRHT?
Grant: We've been lucky enough to have a lot of resources at our disposal and knew that if we started a brand, we would give back to those in need. LA is our home. We chose the homeless community in LA because it's a huge issue and want to bring awareness and help find solutions, it's something we feel very passionately about.
Who (famous or non-famous) would you love to see wear your pieces?
Gudino: All of the Obamas on a family Christmas card.
Grant: We see all the Hollywood cool kids in it like Gigi Hadid and Zayne, Hailey Baldwin and Sofia Richie as well as artists that we think are fashion-forward. We'd love to see how artists like Chance the Rapper, Drake, A$AP Rocky and Future would style BDAC. We also produced this collection and our brand in mind of all of our friends in the LGBTQ community as well — people who feel like they haven't been able to find a place in fashion.
What pieces are you personally loving for summer?
Grant: Our favorite bottoms are the Hayden Shorts, they come in peach, tan, black, and white. They sort of have a luxurious soccer short vibe and they look good on everyone, especially for a guy, it shows some thigh (which we love)! The other piece would be the Distressed Johnny Muscle Tee because you can wear it as a dress or tie it up into a tank on a female. On the other hand, it looks very Rick Owens-esque on a guy!
What can we expect to see in Season 2?
Grant: For Season 2, we will carry through our comfortable hemp and organic cotton blend fabrics and also introduce some heavier knits. It keeps to our simplistic style but we'll have deeper colors for winter. We will include some versatile pants and warmer tops for the cooler months, our goal is to offer pieces you rotate that never go out of style not matter the season. We are adding a really amazing hoodie and jacket too, to accompany everything else we have in Season 1.
