“We met at our kids’ school in LA, standing outside waiting for the bell to ring,” says fashion photographer Glen Luchford of his first encounter with Frame denim co-founder Josh LeVine. The duo created Cherry World, a premium streetwear brand, in 2022.
Three years later and the brand, celebrated for its graphic T-shirts (from $160), super-soft washed-cotton hoodies ($345) and denim (from $350), all locally manufactured in LA’s garment district, has expanded to bring in two new stalwarts: stylist Francesca Burns and designer Fergus Purcell. Last month the quartet launched Cherry World’s first exclusive retail partnership, with Dover Street Market in London.
Burns, a former British Vogue fashion editor, met Luchford on a campaign for Gucci, and in 2023 he enlisted her to help build out the creative team. It was Burns’s idea to recruit Purcell, a skatewear aficionado and co-founder of Aries, and the designer behind Palace Skateboards’ Penrose triangle logo (he has also worked with Marc Jacobs and Raf Simons). “Fergus walks that line between street culture and luxury with such integrity,” she says, adding, “working with Glen on anything is such a pleasure. And Josh, well, in any creative dynamic you absolutely need a person that knows how to get shit done.”
Wool Varsity jacket, $795
Denim Anti-Fit jeans, $350
Washed-cotton T-shirt, £130
Wool jacquard Carl seater, $995
There is an irony in how this Californian brand is being championed predominantly by Brits (all bar LeVine hail from across the pond). “Is the most Californian aspect about myself the fact that I’m a hippie?!” writes Purcell over email, before rattling off a list of West Coast influences including “Cher, Stüssy when Shawn [Stüssy, its founder] was there and Hollywood as filmed by Gus Van Sant”.
“We all grew up with this superfan love of America,” says Burns. “California, in particular, is incredibly liberal and so many culturally significant ideas have come from here. We wanted to recognise that optimism in the clothes.” Motifs include scorpions (native to the San Francisco Bay Area), cannabis (reworked by Purcell into a punchy American flag print) and Luchford’s archival imagery. The denim cuts, with their patchwork and distressing, recall the casual uniform of skaters of Venice beach and Dogtown.
The “Cherry” is a nod to LA’s subculture, such as a cherry-red car, and “World” was equally important: “It’s all about inclusivity,” says Burns. “So much of that narrative has been lost when it comes to anything to do with the States.” “Clothes are a universal language,” adds Purcell, “and with confrères like this, it’s impossible not to get inspired.”