After quietly showing pieces to buyers only for spring, Scott Studenberg is ready to tell a bigger story for fall. The designer has been in Los Angeles for four-plus years and his label has firmly placed itself as an L.A. brand, so fall sees him pay homage to his home turf with a Bajawood theme. The celebration begins with a tongue-in-cheek take on the Hollywood sign on a print found throughout the collection on caftans, skirts and tops.
“Every season I celebrate California. I’ve regrouped this season and wanted to come to Hollywood,” he said, explaining that as a kid the iconic sign always stood out to him.
Baja East has sometimes been labeled streetwear due to its relaxed pieces, like its horse-print hoodies and sweats, but Studenberg pushes back on that idea with a collection in buttery soft silks and sumptuous cotton that is a luxe contemporary take on how his customer wants to dress today. There are remixed greatest hits plunked in between new ideas, like a cheeky awards season print on a relaxed pajama suit that would stand out on any Hollywood young starlet.
The men’s offering mirrors the women’s with many of the same pieces shown on a male-identified model. Baja has had a fluidity across the gender line since its inception; as a queer creator Studenberg understands that gender-fluid doesn’t have to mean dystopian sacks in beige.
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Studenberg proposed a mix of prints, more casual pieces in tie dye — which he does himself — and his take on suiting, silk shirting, swim, light trenchcoats, wide-legged jeans and caftans, all of which he paired with an upcoming collaboration with Superga sneakers. They are pieces that feel easy to wear, elevated and made for a variety of people and shapes. What’s more modern than that?