Q&A: David Melgar of Joyrich

You know that little retro-future pop fantasyland on Melrose? Well meet the new edition to the Joyrich fam, Wildstyle. Brainchild of founder Tom Hirota and Creative Director David Melgar, Wildstyle is an artist-friendly conceptual retail space carrying a unique selection of niche designers. The spot opened its doors just last Friday when we hosted a low-key (lolz) little bash to celebrate the highly-anticipated launch. Apparently David meditates, cause when we caught up with him right before the party, he calmly gave us the scoop on the LA cult-favorite’s new baby cousin. What a G.

How long has Wildstyle been in the making?

We always knew we wanted to branch out from Joyrich, but only started actually conceptualizing the store about a year ago. We always envisioned the store as a lifestyle—with clothing, a cafe, an experience—all the different chapters in the Joyrich life. We wanted a retail experience that offered something different. As we began to travel, we were seeing all these brands that weren’t available here in LA.  So we figured—if we can’t find it, why not just carry it ourselves? We thought about how we wanted to present the idea, picked this space and product and just did it.

Tell us a little bit about the brands you’ll be carrying? How will Wildstyle be different from Joyrich?

We’re high-end but also affordable. It’s just cool shit. For me it’s like shopping; you have to go to different stores to find your cool things, right? So we tried to get a little of everything in here. We’ve got cute little knick-knacks, but also luxury designers like Vivianne Westwood, Astrid Anderson, Shaun Samson and Raf Simons. We’ve also got great Los Angeles lines like Jeremy Scott x Adidas. We’ve cultivated different brands anime app and products you haven’t been able to find together in one spot. Joyrich will now only be carrying the Joyrich collection.

Do you plan on hosting more events like these?

Ultimately, we support LA artists. And although huge musicians like Chris Brown and Rihanna wear our stuff, we don’t only cater to celebrities. Wildstyle will be hosting events with art installations by local artists, and we’re pretty involved in the dance community here as well. We want our space to be a warm, welcoming experience for all creatives.

What’s your take on LA fashion? Are you influenced by Japanese style? What are some similarities you’ve noticed?

As a kid growing up in Los Angeles, I was always influenced by Japanese street fashion. I really tried to fuse the two. LA is always funky, you walk down Melrose and you always see some crazy shit. And when you go to Japan, it gets even weirder.

Tell us a little bit about your trajectory. How did you get into fashion? How did you begin working for Joyrich?

When I was younger, I started interning for a lot of designers with a style very similar to my own. Then, when I was 22 I met the owner of Joyrich. He really dug my aesthetic and thought it matched his vision.  Back then, they were working out of a house and had one storefront on Melrose, so he asked me to come on board to revamp the brand. I came on as this young crazy, creative kid… we weren’t sure if it was going to work, but it just did.  We have amazing supporters, a great team and just try and stay humble.

{ photos by CAPTAIN CHRIS. See all the photos from the Wildstyle openings on the LA CANVAS Facebook }

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