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California has been a trend setter in more ways than one. Take fashion for example: it helped to define
an era for the early escape and hip hop scene right up the modern day street chic.
I’m here at Los Angeles sports club, otherwise known as LASC to speak with Don,
to find out what’s hip when it comes to setting the trend here in LA.
Hi Don. - Yes.
- I’m Rob. Very nice to meet you. So people say that fashion really is everything here in Hollywood
with image and how you look. So it looks like you have got everything set up here to go from swimwear
and sports wear right to that street chic magazine look. - We sort of have everything.
- So great. If you could maybe show me around as I’m really interested to find out the latest and greatest
in kind of LA fashion. - You know we sort of go from being able to come in,
buy stuff and being able to go and work out If you need just a pair of workout pants, shorts, tank top t-shirt.
You know socks, underwear, swimwear. And then we go right up to being able to sell you
a beautiful pair of jeans, a nice shirt, a sport coat, cool boots...
- All days wearing in one store. - So you know people would come in here,
go to the gym, clean up and put a great outfit on. And go out for the night…
- So you are catering for that kind of lifestyle. - Exactly.
- Really the LA lifestyle. Fit, healthy, image, looking good and showing off at night time.
You know that’s the majority of our guys. Our guys, particularly in Southern California, are figure orientated,
the climate we have got here lends itself to that. They really come in, they go the gym, they wanna look good,
they wanna feel good. So they are spending all that time at the gym and taking care of themselves,
they want to make sure they look good at night. - Why not look good at night?
Or when they are out in the streets shopping… And whatever they are doing.
Absolutely. Now we have been talking about trend setting on the show so far. Let me ask: do you think that
the whole fitness lifestyle theme has somehow crossed over into fashion and clothing,
and we can see some of that in like a lot of the vests? - Sure.
- We see a lot of the celebrities and actors out wearing more sort of casual street wear.
- I think most definitely it has, because guys are finding that they can buy a really cool tank top like this
and then they can get a really cool hoodie like this. - These are more than just gym clothes.
- The fabric we are using now are much better fabrics than years ago when you just threw an old tank top on.
- Absolutely. Yeah, it’s not just gym clothes. You wear them out on the streets.
- Exactly, you’ll wear that and throw it with a nice pair of jeans, nice shoes or boots.
So it really is great. - Mix and match.
- Exactly. - I see you have got swimwear too and of course
LA has one of the greatest beaches, certainly that I have been to. So… What about, how does this differ
from perhaps the European market in terms of cuts, colours? Are we here in California a little bit more liberal
in showing off or do we prefer to keep things covered? - I think we still like to keep things covered,
but in Southern California it gets more into wearing like bikini and square cuts. Of course because we are
in Southern California, the surf capital, we have a whole waffle of board shorts as well. Guys will be wearing
like a great square bathing suit. - OK.
- Some guys will wear, particularly some guys will be going out swimming in the pool, they may be training,
They may want a trimmer cut. - Part of that fitness lifestyle.
- Exactly.
Board shorts come in all lengths and styles. You can get a pretty clean cut with a basic color with just stripes on it.
Or there is all kinds of prints, a little longer length. - See those right there look like the California
beach type, with the colors. - Exactly.
You know a brand like Hurley, which is based right here in Southern California. they do some amazing fabrics
really quick dry. - So these big companies that we know
throughout the world, a lot of them actually have their headquarters and actually started here in California:
- Quicksilver, Hurley, Billabong... - I love the store, I love all of the clothes, the cuts,
the combinations. The fact that anyone can come in here and pretty much get 2 or 3 different looks in one store.
Let me finish on this: for the perfect guy who is trying to build his body up and look like people in the magazines.
- Right. - What would your top 3 tips be to create style
and show off a good body and that kind of LA lifestyle that we have been talking about?
- Well, I would preface it buy saying that one of the great things about the store is that we have really
knowledgeable and professional sales people. They understand, and when you come in they are going to
say to you what are you looking for, where are you going, and get a sense of your style so they help
really fit you with a pair of jeans or even workout wear that really suits the lifestyle that you lead.
- Absolutely. - And with that they are really going to take a look
at your body and where you are going and find the right fit and find the right type of fabrics.
And help put a look together that works for you and that you feel comfortable with, but what also
is going to really make a statement when you are out on the street.
Talking about out on the street and making a statement, we have seen a lot of beach wear and we are not
that far from the beach now are we Santa Monica is just down the road, so I think we are going to finish up here
on the West Side of Hollywood and go and check out the sun and the sea down at Santa Monica Beach.
Don a pleasure, thank you so much. - Thanks for coming by.
- I think it’s for you… - Ah, thank you.
This is Gold’s Gym in Venice, California, considered to be one of the biggest and best gyms in the world.
It is just one of many reasons why you are likely to find everyone walking… From the boardwalk
to the boulevard, to be in such good shape. In here you are going to find people like the latest cover models,
bodybuilders, all the way up to mega A-list celebrities and movie actors. But we will take a closer look
at Gold’s Gym later on in the series. Because today I am in here in Santa Monica to check out one place
and one place only and that’s Muscle Beach over at the boardwalk. Let’s go and check it out.
Long before there were air conditioned fitness studios and well equipped gyms scattered with knowledgeable
personal training staff there was this, the Pit at the original Muscle Beach here in Venice, California.
This is where many of the pioneering names of bodybuilders, including Arnold Schwarzenegger
and Frank Zane, would come and workout in the sun for hours each day and share their bodies and knowledge
with anyone that walked past. We will be taking a closer look at this later on in the series. Let’s keep on
moving and have a look at some of the other hot spots down here at Venice, California.
You know Muscle Beach isn’t just used by many bodybuilders and fitness people alike, no. It's also
used by the movie and film industry with big blockbuster films, such as Bad Boys, filmed in this area right here.
Plus tons of other sporting activities go on, we have got the beach area just over there with the hanging bars,
the monkey bars and the ropes. A full basketball court and there is even a skate park just over the seating
from here. In fact there is always something going on here, morning, noon and night.
Whether it’s big events, local sporting groups or just a guy and his buddies hanging around playing ball.
It really is the fitness capital of the world. So far we have only just begun to scratch the surface of life here in LA.
Join me next time on LA Life when we will be taking a much closer look at film, fashion, food and fitness
and everything else that’s in between. I’m Rob Riches. Until next time… Take care.