January 26, 2010 - Not So Generic

"Design different, make different and sell different." Jeff Yokoyama's self-proclaimed mantra encapsulates everything that makes Generic Youth, his clothing company, wonderfully distinctive.

Generic Youth began as a summer project in 2005 for Jeff and his daughter Coco, then 15.  Jeff asked Coco to create a project she could complete during the summer. "That night she slept on it and came back to me with the idea of making a t-shirt from left-over fabrics. The inspiration is from ‘green', ‘summer' and being 15," Jeff said.

These three influences are apparent in Generic Youth's clothing, which is far from generic. Lightweight shorts, cozy hoodies made from beach towels and soft t-shirts - all with a unique California style - evoke feelings of a lazy summer, beach bonfires and boardwalks.

Generic Youth's clothing is eco-friendly, created from donated beach towels or abandoned fabrics found in local Los Angeles warehouses.  Because they used donated or found fabrics, Jeff and Coco's pieces are made in small batches and many pieces are one of a kind. In addition to keeping fabrics locally sourced and recycled, for the past two years, Jeff has been developing a "recycle and give back" program.

Jeff said that working everyday to reduce the carbon footprint of Generic Youth's clothing flows into his home life. "[I] turn off all the lights that aren't being used...[and] better yet, we have changed out all our light bulbs to higher efficiency. I guess wherever we can conserve, we do!" he said.

In addition to being eco-friendly, Generic Youth is community friendly.  Every Wednesday, the Generic Youth shop in Costa Mesa hosts "Burger Wednesday", where locals can donate used beach towels in exchange for a burger. According to Generic Youth's website, "Our intentions of Burger Wednesday were to create a community where people would feel welcome to hang out and fill up their bellies as well as their rolodex with friendly neighbors. "

Generic Youth products are only available online and at the Generic Youth store in Costa Mesa, although there are plans to open another store in Japan. "We stopped our distribution to other retailers for several reasons, but the main reason was that we wanted to make only what we could sell. This will help keep the line current," Jeff said.

For more information about Generic Youth, check out www.genericyouth.com.