We had the good fortune of connecting with Christopher Lopez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christopher, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have been working in the fashion wholesale industry for 10+ years and noticed a huge shift in the marketplace. Online, Social Media and DTC (Direct To Consumer) has taken over the wholesale industry and I decided it was time to make the shift into creating a collection DTC that I believed in. I have created a sustainable focused line and really started pushing up-cycled and vintage clothing via Shopify, IG, and Tiktok, I also do pop ups with local shows like The Silverlake Flea Market!

Vintage has been my main source of creative power and has lead me to be able to create sustainably sourced ad limited production runs all sourced and made in Los Angeles. Executing this vision has been challenging and comes with hard work, but watching it continue to grow, and hearing and connecting with consumers via social media platforms is rewarding.

I hope to continue to build awareness about up-cycled, vintage and sustainable clothing through this business!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
East Edison started in September 2020 and I was so NERVOUS to start! One of the biggest misconceptions about online and social media platforms is it seem like it is all so easy, but it is the hardest thing I have done, EVER! It takes so much time, commitment, and energy to have consistent and constant content. I struggle with this aspect of the business daily! I brought on friends to give me honest feedback and opinions, and this opened so many doors for me. The biggest lesson I have learned is that you cannot do this alone, and you must be open to feedback and constructive criticism. Having other artists, creatives and business owners as friends and mentors has really been a huge asset to my business, and has really shown me that people are always willing to help! That is how I feel about my business, I want this to be a safe place where anyone and everyone can shop or find something cool! How I wear a vintage T-shirt might not be the same as someone else wears one, but that’s why I love social media and Instagram! When a customer posts the t-shirt they bought from www.eastedison.com it makes me happy to see how they style it, and how they feel good in it!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

One of my favorite parts of being in Los Angeles is going to all the amazing flea markets. I show my vintage collections at the Silverlake Flea market on Sunset a few times a month! This is where I would start my weekend with friends, just chilling and shopping some amazing vintage vendors. Then we would probably hit up our friend’s boutique Geñero Neutral to say hi and shop some more, they carry the coolest brands! Once done there we would probably hit up Bar Flores in Echo Park, hands down the best margaritas in Los Angeles! I have lived on the east side of Los Angeles for 10+ years now so I would stay in my local community and really show how amazing this part of LA really is! So many amazing small businesses and cool people!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have had so many amazing influences and mentors on my journey in launching this business. One of the best decisions I made personally was to start attending a networking event called SPCMKRS where it brings LGBTQ people of color together in Los Angeles and we network and share conversations on being LGBTQ in Los Angeles. It really helped open my mind, heart and mind and meet amazing new people. It also really gave me courage to expand my horizons and follow my passion in creating the brand East Edison Los Angeles.

One of the founders of SPCMKRS has a new community event called QNA and they focus on Queer and Asian culture in Los Angeles. Its pretty amazing! I would check them out!

Website: https://eastedison.com/

Instagram: @Eastedisonla

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.