An embroidered black baseball hat, a color-blocked black and fluo sweatshirt, and a two-liter bottle of half-finished soda: This is just some of the available merch from Mike's Deli, a new Los Angeles clothing brand that was born from (where else?) a Myspace meetup.
Founded by two self-proclaimed "bozos" who prefer to remain anonymous, the perverse and shameless unisex brand was inspired by late-night conversations about the Wu-Tang Clan and the recent state of streetwear. "The name was inspired by an anti-corporate sentiment and plus, Paul's Boutique was taken [by the Beastie Boys]," the founders of Mike's Deli joked in an email interview with Uncover L.A.
Priced from $28 to $350, the label's debut collection is comprised of colorful socks, hats, boxy tees in black and white, shirts featuring phrases in throwback embossed label lettering, drop-crotch shorts, and denim trousers that encourage one particular sticky-fingered pasttime — all made in the U.S.
The brand was heavily inspired by the hip-hop and internet culture of the '90s and early aughts: "Dial-up internet…[the Wu-Tang Clan album] 'Enter the 36 Chambers,' after-school specials, [and] that period of time when the world was transitioning from analog to digital. Technology, superstitions, and pop culture were all in a really weird place at that time."
"Quality and ethics are an important part of the brand, and maintaining that throughout the production process is very important. We are pretty OCD about the details both in terms of design and quality. Each garment has something exclusive for the wearer; each design has its own personality conveyed through branding, graphics, and shape," the designers tell us.
Into it? Shop the label online here.
Editor: Danielle Directo-Meston
