fashion designer who has led the luxury space in incorporating upcycled fabrics for over a decade
Greg Lauren is an American artist and designer whose approach to fashion challenges traditional archetypes through the transformation of reclaimed textiles and vintage fabrics. The signature GL style is a celebration of duality, of destroyed elegance that blurs the line between classic and contemporary. His eponymous label is known for provocative ready-to-wear collections that speak to the visual voice of clothing as individual expression.
As the name Lauren indicates, Greg belongs to America’s first family of fashion. His uncle is Ralph Lauren, and his father, Jerry, led creative direction for menswear for more than 40 years. And while Greg’s creative journey has always been grounded in a deep respect for craftsmanship and style, the route to fashion designer was not linear.
When his 2009 art show, ‘Alteration,’ debuted in New York and Los Angeles, it featured over 40 hand-sewn paper sculptures of true-to-scale uniforms, suits, shirts, and accessories. By meticulously manipulating Japanese paper, Greg produced the impression of fine textiles with added frayed edges and folds to create an authentic, lived-in appearance. The installation also included a small collection of wearable garments, created from repurposed materials that challenged the notions of traditional menswear. This process of storytelling, the ongoing exploration of personal identity and its relationship to clothing, was the genesis of an artistic language that would come to define Greg Lauren, the label.
And now, for over a decade, Greg Lauren has continued this artisan approach through a dedication to upcycling, sustainability, and a focus on equitable collaborations such as “Mosaic: Gee’s Bend and Greg Lauren.” This ongoing collaboration now in its third season between over twenty quilters and Greg Lauren, celebrates the ingenious, historically impactful artwork by the women of the Gee’s Bend community and was featured in the Met exhibition “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” The Greg Lauren studio and atelier is located in Los Angeles, California, where the entire collection is produced and "Made in LA".