• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Fashion
  • Sneakers
  • Bags
  • Accessories
  • Music
  • Rihanna
  • Follow
    • INSTAGRAM
    • FACEBOOK
    • PINTEREST
    • TWITTER
    • YOUTUBE
Streetwear October 1, 2016
By Lois Sakany
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Share Tweet Pin Linkedln Email Reddit
Streetwear

Interview With Valley High Designers Chanelle Laurence And Christian Ojeda

valley high fall 2016 5

October 1, 2016. Leave a Comment

Launched in early 2015 by Chanelle Laurence and Christian Ojeda, Los Angeles streetwear label Valley High came out of the gate strong and was quickly embraced as a fresh new fave by female streetwear aficionados. Cut and sewn locally, Valley High designs are rooted in low-key Cali style made special through color stories and details reflecting Laurence and Ojeda’s unique take on the culture.

Having worked with Freshjive, Supra, and Primitive over the past decade Ojeda for the most part is the brains behind the graphics, while Laurence focuses on how Valley High is felt, seen experienced and most importantly, how the garments look on a woman’s body.

Our West Coast correspondent Soleil B. met with Laurence and Ojeda and learned a ton about the brand, along with the duo’s thoughts on social media, the current state of streetwear along with great L.A. spots that rep for the realer side of the City’s culture. Check it out below.

valley high 1
valley high 2
valley high 3

Snobette: Do you two work from your homes or have a dedicated work space?
Chanelle Laurence: “This year Christian started working at [skateboard company] Primitive and I’ve been handing more of the day to day, and then we use weekends to have meetings and discuss strategy. We work out of our apartment still, which I think is really cool. Every little fun and monumental thing that has happened, we’ve got to experience it together.”
Christian Ojeda: “Even with full time jobs, creatives and designers are always freelancing no matter what, it’s just a matter of juggling & hustling different projects. I have Fridays and the weekends off so that is time I can dedicate to just the brand.”

valley-high-fall-2016-1 Snobette: Social media has become a critical way to stay in touch with the customer. What is the one app you think you could drop and it wouldn’t make a difference?
Chanelle Laurence: “I would say Facebook though Facebook Live is something that is really taking off, which I’m interested in and would like to explore. It’s cool because it has the Periscope vibe but it’s already installed in an app we already always use. With Twitter, I love it from a personal standpoint, but as a brand it’s so hard to really find your voice there and have people engage.”
Christian Ojeda: “Facebook, only because the demographic has changed and it’s been around for a really long time. There’s a lot of newer and more exciting platforms. Also Twitter because there is less of a visual aspect in comparison to the other platforms.”

Snobette: As important as social media is, how do you stay connected to the culture that inspires you?
Chanelle Laurence: “We only come out with two collections a year so it can be hard for us to be new and exciting all year long so we’ve been focusing on ways to keep in tune with our customers. When it comes to retail you can’t just go shopping anymore, it has to be an experience, just like anything else in life.”
Christian Ojeda: “Things have changed a lot due to fast fashion and how quickly trends now move. We’ve had to figure out how to take a step back and truly figure out our customer base that brings it back to the roots and that loyalty to a brand. That’s the aspect that has changed a lot because you have buyers more concerned with trend and price and less so with brand. While bomber jackets are hot right now, we wanted to create a vibe where people go for our bomber jacket because of what it represents.”

valley-high-fall-2016-3

Snobette: ValleyHigh is very much about SoCal culture. If you had a friend visiting for the weekend, what spots would take him/her?
Christian Ojeda: “One thing we could definitely agree on would be In-N- Out. It’s a very California staple burger joint and of course any good Mexican food is key. For shopping, maybe Fairfax & Melrose can provide a good taste of streetwear, plus it’s such a cool block to see. There’s so much energy over there.”
Chanelle Laurence: “Shout out to Cactus Taqueria in West Hollywood. The Dime is really fun to drink at because you have that same crowd from Fairfax and that energy and they play the best hip hop. It’s like the ultimate West Coast type of tiny little dive bar in my opinion. There’s also this bar called Adults Only where a friend of ours is a DJ.”

Snobette: West Coast and East Coast street style are still fairly distinct. What do you think is the main difference between the two?
Chanelle Laurence: “I really paid attention to this while we were in New York because I was wondering why we felt like we really stood out. It’s so bright and nice in L.A. that we are conditioned to wear sunglasses all the time, even inside and that is one huge difference tied to location. Also, we are really laid back. I literally go to the club in like high-waist jeans, crop top and heels, whereas in New York I’m not sure something like that would really fly.”
Christian Ojeda: “In New York you kind of have to be dressed for the entire day and evening if you’re planning on going out after work. Here, you dress up really casual and after work you go home and change into the next thing. In general we dress a little cozier here, the joggers, crewnecks, sweaters, fleece, tee-shirts. Being from the West Coast we’ve always been very influenced by skate and surf culture. So although we may not put palm trees on everything, you could picture the look fitting in next to a palm tree with the blue skies and great weather.”

valley-high-fall-2016-6

Snobette: Your brand is best described as streetwear, and yet the category is in flux. Does it even exist?
Chanelle Laurence: “When I think streetwear, I think bold graphics and prints but it’s gotten so minimal because of the Yeezy influence. I’d never go printless and neutral although we do see the buying curve going that way. We want to bring the girly side in, too, so our girls didn’t have to go to Forever21 to find a dress. We wanted to create a one-stop-shop and keep the edgy fun Cali style in the dresses, skirts and overall look of the label.”

Christian Ojeda: “Working in streetwear on thing I realized is Chanelle would wear a lot of my stuff. While there were brands out there addressing women’s streetwear, a lot of times it had either a very girly vibe to it. I wanted to come up something that could empower woman with graphics referring to them as a ‘boss’ or phrases like that. Instead, let’s give them bold graphics that a guy would see and be impressed with, like ‘Yo, what is that? I’d run that super hard.’ So what we came up with was instead of your girlfriend raiding your boyfriend’s closet is to think of the concept of your boyfriend raiding your girlfriend’s closet. We still have a full collection that includes the dresses and things like that, but also include the athletic and leisure silhouettes that are more unisex.”

Snobette: What is your goal for Valley High in 2017?
Chanelle Laurence: “I just want to concentrate on just building with the Valley High girls and really create something awesome experiences for her. We’ve been working a lot of collaborations, I’d like to keep that going & work with other cool brands.”
Christian Ojeda: “Keep building. Keep going. We are working on a lot of new ideas and we want to expand our collections. An office would be sweet. Just building more awareness. Everyday that we are doing this, we have our goals & they are constantly changing.”

Streetwear Interview Valley High

What To Read Next

Read More
Fashion

Renell Medrano Teases Upcoming Ice Studios Summer 2025 Apparel

Fresh off the sold out HommeGirls Issue 13 cover, where she photographed herself in a series of striking

Read More ...
by Samia Grand Pierre on April 28, 2025
SHARE
Read More
Adidas

Willy Chavarria Celebrates Paris Fashion Week Debut With Adidas Originals Capsule

Adidas Originals has teamed with New York-based designer Willy Chavarria to celebrate his Paris Fashion Week debut with

Read More ...
by Samia Grand Pierre on January 22, 2025
SHARE
Read More
Streetwear

Triple Five Soul Unveils Winter’24 Collection Of Apparel And Collectibles

Iconic New York streetwear label Triple Five Soul has released a winter 2024 collection that bridges nostalgia and

Read More ...
by Samia Grand Pierre on December 13, 2024
SHARE
Puma and New York-based fashion brand LaQuan Smith Puma and New York-based fashion brand LaQuan Smith are back with their second collaboration, this time inspired by the glitz and grit of the boxing ring. 

The campaign stars Ming Lee Simmons, dressed in satin-finished boxing shorts, cropped jackets, and tear-away pants with luxe details.

The capsule also includes two Speedcat silhouettes, including the Speedcat Mid, a high-ankle boxing sneaker. 

Priced between $80-$100, the Puma x LaQuan Smith collection launches on March 15 on puma.com, the Puma NYC and Las Vegas flagship stores, and select retailers including Foot Locker and Shoe Palace.
Artist Sue Tsai brought her signature whimsical de Artist Sue Tsai brought her signature whimsical designs to a capsule collection of earrings in collaboration with New York jeweler Greg Yüna. The statement earrings are now on display at Greg Yüna's Soho boutique and  now available on gregyuna.com.

The pair previously dropped a perfect match necklace set in 2021 that was 🔥. 

#gregyuna
#suetsai
For fall winter 2025 KNWLS opted to forego a runwa For fall winter 2025 KNWLS opted to forego a runway show and present their collection in a styled lookbook.

Taking inspiration from a feminine Y2K aesthetic, the collection embodies designers Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault’s ability to balance sexy and cool. 

In an interview with Vogue, the pair shared that they are currently working on a new design director role in Europe and have several other projects in the pipeline, including another denim project, a collaboration with a jewelry brand, and a menswear capsule for an e-commerce site.

Commenting on the lookbook styling, they shared, "Obviously in the lookbooks it's styled in a quite extreme way, but if you break it down into individual pieces, we've been thinking about merchandising and the customer more than ever before," said Arsenault. "We've seen the team in the studio wearing the pieces differently too, and we've taken that into account. It's a nice challenge to say: 'Okay, we want to make a sweatshirt, but it still has this silhouette or wash or rib detail that makes it feel really Knwls."

#knwls
Reason a million why Rihanna has her own tab on s Reason a million why Rihanna has her own tab on  snobette.com: Her effortless ability to find humor during her J'adore Dior audio rehearsal video. 

Rihanna was appointed as J'Adore Dior fragrance ambassador in 2024, replacing Charlize Theron, who held the role for 20 years. She has a long-standing relationship with the brand, having been named as their first Black brand ambassador in 2015. 

#rihanna
Atlanta-based Pluto and YK Niece released Whim Wha Atlanta-based Pluto and YK Niece released Whim Whamiee single a few weeks ago, and the track is now trending on TikTok as the "Lululemon Song". 

Rapper JT shared that she's hooked on the song, especially the "Lulu" verse.

To witness an athletic apparel brand being name-dropped in hip-hop by emerging women rappers highlights how much women love their fitness/athleisure wear but also the fact that there is a flex that comes with wearing Lululemon in certain circles.

 Male rappers Jbeezy.Lfg and Lil Scoom89
respectively dropped singles titled Lululemon last year referencing women wearing the brand. 

Whim Whamiee by is now streaming on all DSPs. 

Thoughts? 

#lululemon 
#lululemonsong
Alessandro's Michele's latest Valentino runway col Alessandro's Michele's latest Valentino runway collection for fall 2025 featured a  collaboration with  none other than Vans.

Stay tuned for more updates!

#vans
#valentino 
#valentinoxvans
INSTAGRAMFACEBOOKPINTERESTTWITTERYOUTUBE
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop

Copyright © Snobette - Privacy Policy

Asset 1
Asset 1
Asset 1
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Fashion
  • Sneakers
  • Bags
  • Accessories
  • Music
  • Rihanna