Based in Los Angeles, Guillermo Andrade, founder of the 424 brand, is now a benchmark in streetwear. The Guatemalan-born designer, who ran his first multi-store in Fairfax, opened his first 424 store at 8441 Melrose Place in February last year. The brand is now distributed in over 60 stores worldwide and is notably present at Printemps, Harrods, Nubian, GR8 and H.Lorenzo. On January 21, he will hold his first show during the Paris Fashion Week. FashionNetwork.com caught up with the designer.

FashionNetwork : On January 21, you’ll be holding your first show in Paris. How do you feel about it?
Guillermo Andrade : I’m so excited. It’s gonna be a great moment for us. I’m from the Bay area. I grew up around nature, mountain and cliff sides. I’m more a granola hippie person than a rock star. So, the collection will be very Californian centric, more than LA centric. This collection sums up my experience of living in California. I have developed a lot of new things in terms of fabrics like this suede-corduroy leather. I will also be presenting a new collaboration with Los Angeles-based jewelry brand Hoorsenbuhs, around a 10-piece capsule. And I’ll also be revealing my collaboration with eyewear brand Dita. The vibe is gonna be sick.
 
FNW : As a tribute to your roots, you will be presenting your show at the Maison de l’Amérique Latine?
G.A : La Maison de l’Amérique Latine was created in 1946 to connect the French with Latin Americans. Rooms pays homage to Guatemala, the country where I was born, but also Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Salvador. It’s litterally a home for me. I’m preparing the models as we speak now, in the Guatemala room. 

FNW : How did you get to the United States?
G.A : I was born in Guatemala. My parents dreamed of a better life for themselves but also for their kids. They saved enough money for six or seven years, and brought us over to the States. I was 10 years old and I did all the journey. The journey that you see in all the movies. It’s kinda like watching the “Slumdog Millionaire” movie. You just can’t imagine that anyone’s life is really like that. But I did. We first set up in a small town in Marin County then moved to Richmond then to Petaluma. It was like moving from Little Mexico to the hoods of Richmond then Trump town. My life is full of contrasts. I go from one extreme to the other and I have lived in the middle my whole life. 

FNW : How did you connect with fashion world?
G.A : I still remember the first time I realized being a stylist was someone’s job. My heart was just completely broken into thousands of pieces. I realized that cool people needed a stylist to dress them. It sounded crazy to me. I don’t come from fashion. The question of a career in fashion never arose. My choice was limited to being a contractor or a criminal.
 
FNW : On the other hand, you have long cultivated a special relationship with clothing?
G.A : Looking back, I’ve been cutting out all my clothes since I was a little kid. I’ve been making things at least my own, for as long as I can remember. People have always paid attention to that. They asked me where I got my clothes. In California, I quickly realized that rich people regularly threw away their clothes. So I rushed to thrift stores or goodwill stores to buy Paul Smith, Ralph Lauren, and Lacoste. It was like reaching to another world without really knowing why I was doing. I guess I was using the clothes to protect myself from being be called poor. It’s funny because when I wore my clothes, I became the rich kid.
 
FNW : Your 424 brand was born in 2015. How did it come about?
G.A : It all started back in 2010, when I opened my first shop in Fairfax, at a time when streetwear was exploding. I stocked Martine Rose and Fear of God. All emerging streetwear brands usually ended up at my store. The 424 brand came because people pushed me to start one. I started with jewelry. I was not looking to make clothes on my own but I had always continue to make clothes for myself. Kids wanted the pieces I made and wore. In 2015, I started to sample my first capsule. At that time, I had a lot of respect for Rick Owens, Ann Demeulemeester, and Yohji Yamamoto. I could relate with their mood and fashion and their sense of depth.

FNW : What did your first collection look like?
G.A : My first collection was very much just a reflection of everything I was in love at that time. I replaced my wardrobe with that one capsule: a trench-coat, a skirpant, and regular trousers. It was not focused on making basics. I wanted a vibe and a look. I spent too much money and I learned a lot of lessons. And then I hit the road. We started with Magic and Project trade shows in Las Vegas and continued with Capsule trade show in New York and Paris. I brought my first capsule and my friend’s brands with me, including Rhude, Second/Layer and Midnight Studios. One day, a friend of mine based in Copenhagen asked me to share her booth at CIFF trade show, and we brought LA to Europe. It lasted four years. Everyone told us we were cool. It was pretty epic. That’s how I started wholesale. We delivered our first collection and we haven’t stopped since. I recently realized that I have already made 18 collections. 
 
FNW : And today you have your own space on Melrose Place.
G.A : Because of Covid, I had to close my shop on Fairfax. From 2020 to 2022, all I did was just investing the rest of my time, money, energy to focus on products. The essence of what Fairfax used to represent was no longer there. And I said to my new partners: “Melrose Place is the future!”. It was the time to go deeper. I wanted to create a place for all the kids who supported us on Fairfax. And you know what, they all came! The place was a storage unit in a building. I wanna be surrounded by earth. So we created a place with an earthy set design. The atmosphere is almost spiritual and I’m providing clothes where you can feel cool. 
 
FNW : How do you produce your collections?
G.A : At the moment, I do not buy one fabric. I make everything from scratch. I have developed all my own textiles, all my washes. The fabrics I use are a secret weapon to make my brand very unique. I believe in the essence of the product. I’ve heard that Bernard Arnault recognizes his Louis Vuitton bags just by smelling the fabrics. I really think the product never lies. It’s not about logo but about fabrics. All this costs money, of course. My products are not expensive products. They’re costly products. Being expensive means being overpriced.
 
FNW : I hear you dreamed of being a soccer player?
G.A: I’m a soccer lover. For a long time I thought I was going to make a career in soccer. I had a long run with Adidas and I like playing between those two worlds, fashion and soccer. I’m so happy that FIFA Club World Cup and FIFA World Cup are taking place in Los Angeles. And I’ll be happy to take my father with me. Today, I want to forge real, honest partnerships. I suffered because I didn’t pursue a career in soccer. And I want to turn that into a positive project. I want protect the integrity of the game and the love of the game. I want to create opportunities for kids to change their life and make their dreams come true.