As one of the biggest bashes of the year, the annual Born x Raised Sadie Hawkins Winter Formal has always had an IYKYK vibe and this year was no exception. Hundreds of people attended the event in their best attire, who all seemed to know each other in some way, and the brand’s co-founder Chris “Spanto” Printup described it as “a wedding meets a bar mitzvah”. .
Printup, in a Grace Jones-inspired suit adorned with pieces by Diné (Apache) jeweler Lionel Thundercloud, set the dress code for the evening’s gala at DTLA’s Soho Warehouse. “People in LA want to dress up, but they don’t always get to,” says Alex “2Tone” Erdmann of Born x Raised, as he mingles with guests on the rooftop pool deck. “They have all these beautiful outfits that really show off and dress well.” That said, attendees were forewarned that the dress code strictly forbids streetwear, “If you show up in a Born x Raised hoodie, you’ll be at the door Tarred and feathered.”
The evening kicked off with a Nike-sponsored dinner, which marked the occasion with a collaboration of Nike’s limited-edition Air Force 1 Low sneakers. But the “intimate” dinners billed as people steadily increased in the evenings, with guests sharing their seats and plates of wild arugula salad and sea bass as each wave of new friends arrived.
Danny Trejo, Miguel, Nadia Lee Cohen, Freddie Gibbs, Kirsty Godso, YG and Mister Cartoon attended the pre-party cocktail and dinner. “This year I had to come out as a black James Bond,” Gibbs said as he waited in line for a prom-style portrait by photographer Carlos Jaramillo — a key feature of the event. one of the highlights. “At Sadie Hawkins, I always have to look my best dressed. You just have to be well dressed at all times.”
Created on 2013, Born The founders of x Raised describe the brand as a love letter to hometown, eschewing the city’s influencer culture in favor of the real L.A. for those in power, and parties that celebrate its creative community. “When I grew up in Los Angeles, it was a melting pot of all different cultures,” Printup told Vogue. “This is what we’re recreating with everyone in this room. It’s the fullest mix and the party I want to be at.”
