Madhappy Optimistics capsule collection (Photo: Courtesy of Madhappy) By Danica Lo October 22, 2019
In 2017, LVMH established LVMH Luxury Ventures, an arm of the luxury conglomerate dedicated to investing between €2 million and €10 million at a time in upstart luxury fashion and beauty companies—since its inception, it has taken minority stakes in brands such as Gabriela Hearst and Parisian beauty company l’Officine Universelle Buly. This week, LVMH Luxury Ventures announced it has invested in Madhappy, a Los Angeles-based mission-driven streetwear label founded two years ago by brothers Peiman and Noah Raf.Â
Here’s a four-point primer on the Millennial and Gen Z-targeted apparel company.Â
Brothers Peiman and Noah Raf launched Madhappy in 2017 with the mission statement: “At Madhappy, we are an inclusive community of local optimists. We create exceptional products with our own flair. Host impactful experiences around the world. And strive to give a platform to mental health conversation.”
The brand name is derived from “two words coming together to create a life-like existence. It’s about the ups and downs and everything in between. It is recognising that everything isn’t perfect because it shouldn’t be. It is realising that the lows make the highs that much more pronounced.”Â
The brand’s core demographic is 18- to 30-year-olds.
Intentionally pop-y and bright, the Madhappy aesthetic and shopper experience are engineered to foster joy.
“Through the clothes, we’re putting out happy with the colours that we choose,” Madhappy cofounder Noah Raf told the Came to a Long Way talk show team last year. “A lot of the colours that we choose are bright colours that make people feel good. When you come into one of our pop-ups, they’re very bright, all of our employees are extremely friendly. If you read our mission, people are instantly attracted to that. So by buying these colourful clothing, people are embodying the community that we’re trying to build.”
Madhappy hits California-inspired casual right on the nose with a quirky take on slogan streetwear, lounge wear, and comfort-first staples. Pieces include T-shirts, sweats, hoodies, and shorts in a variety of natural-fibre muted pastels and primary colours. Popular slogans include:
- So Sorry! No Wifi
- Optimist.
- Optimism
- Optimistics
- Lovechain
- Local Optimist
- Star Program and
- Local Optimist Group, which is a riff on the name of the brand’s blog
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While primarily available to consumers via e-commerce—fyi, international shipping to Asia will run you about USD$50 per order—Madhappy has run a series of limited-time-only pop-ups in Los Angeles, Miami, and Aspen. If you’re looking to experience the Madhappy ethos irl, head to Los Angeles (8459 Melrose Place) or New York City (25 Howard Street) now through the end of 2019.
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See also: 10 Cafés Around The World Owned By Luxury Fashion Brands
