US VERSUS THEM SUMMER 2010 LOOKBOOK

We like to pride ourselves on making clothing with a bit more substance than most. Whether it’s simply the aesthetic or the message conveyed on our products, we tend to be pretty serious. So when we were planning our lookbook for our Summer Collection, we decided to use it as an excuse to take a day off, get out of town and go hang out in the mountains.

Living in Southern Ca, we’re blessed with having nearly every type of landscape and environment you could think of, and all the spoils that go with it. Beaches, mountains, cities, deserts, forests, islands, thousand foot high cliffs and river canyons, all within a couple hours drive from each other. Lower Trestles, Joshua Tree, Big Bear, Malibu Creek State Park, Tahquitz, the Channel Islands, La Jolla Cove, You can surf in the morning, skate at lunch and snowboard in the afternoon. It may be a cliche but there aren’t too many places that can lay claim to such variety.

One such place deserving mention is Mt. San Jacinto. On one side of it you have the mountain town of Idyllwild, known mainly for it’s art schools and for being the birthplace of modern rock climbing at Tahquitz Peak.

On the other side, you have Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, known for its desert wealth, music festivals and mid-century modern architecture.

Another thing it has is the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. A 15 minute drive once you leave the 10 freeway will find you at the base of the sheerest mountain face (highest unbroken rise from valley floor to peak) in all of North America. It’s here that the tram takes you from an elevation of 2500ft and 103ºF at the bottom of the canyon to more than a mile up at 8500ft and 75ºF. It’s like taking a bus from the Mojave Desert to the Sierras and getting there in less than 10 minutes.

If you’ve never taken the time to head up there, do yourself a favor.

Photos by Adrian Luther for DGTLXWW.