Having and building out your own car is similar to building your own clothes. You build it knowing that it will be one of the first things other people see of you, yet you know that the current stock options out there don’t fit what you need and want. So you take the time, give it the upgrades you want, make it feel the way you want behind the wheel, mess with the sound like you are creating your own music, and of course find the colors that you like. Then you take your creation out on the streets like your own personal runway. These similarities between cars and clothes inspired Alexander Hershel to create his own clothing company and make his runway the streets of Los Angeles.
This runway was made with collaboration of JDM Champs to bring out some iconic tuner cars to match the energy of the new LAB 74 Season 1 + LAB 74 x Thru The Pain clothes debut. Models would walk around the cars in a similar way we walk around a car meet. These cars included R34 Nissan GT-Rs, classic S2000s, and a Marlboro-liveried Mitsubishi EVO. Only when they started posing next to these legends do you remember that this is more a runway than it is a car meet.
The clothes these models were wearing were equally unique and raw as the cars. Inspired by JDM cars, Tokyo street racing games, and the early 2000s era, his clothes take street wear and push far ahead of the current industry. Each design feels like it's out of what people in the 90s thought the future would look like. Each piece is heavy, chaotic and bold, and doesn’t care if you think it works or not. The materials he used were equally as lawless using wax denim, nylon (like the stuff they build tents out of), and even more formal materials adapted for everyday wear.
If I were to compare it to cars, it fits most closely with some of Japan’s crazier car scenes. The Bozusoku stylers, jeweled Lamborghinis, and cars that should never be street legal, but can be seen getting groceries same as the K car beside it. A form of chaos that feels like an explosion of expression that had been pent up.
And that fits all too well with Hershel. Hershel used to be in the music industry with moderate success, but eventually felt suffocated. Unable to make major progress, he was stuck with a music career he no longer wished to pursue. But he was always creating his own clothes, and eventually got noticed by Doja Cat who liked his designs and even got a set to wear in public. This moment and his disinterest in the music industry caused him to move to LA and pursue his clothing business full time. From there, he joined HBO’s TV show The Hype, a myriad of NFL players started showing off his clothes, became part of New York Fashion Week, and even garnered the support of legendary artist Erykah Badu who’s been spotted in designs a litany of times.
But with all that success, Hershel eventually wanted to do more than just clothes, but help people. That's why a lot of Hershel’s energy is dedicated to helping underserved communities. His most notable is helping previously incarcerated youth find their own track to success by teaching them how to build their own brands. One of his students, Tucuba, was out at this street runway. Hershel’s commitment to this cause was woven directly into his own brand, as part of his mission is to help the disadvantaged youth.
It’s hard to call Hershel and Lab 74 anything but a success. His career in creating clothes brought him to many celebrities and a purpose to helping others. With his next set of clothes coming set for 2026, it will be interesting to see how they turn the dial further.