Lauren London has become a beacon for authenticity, and she’s carrying that energy into her second collection with Puma named L.A. Love Story dropping Nov. 11.
The footwear and apparel collection is inspired by Los Angeles, the city that raised her, and celebrates London’s love for her hometown, and the community that shaped her into who she is today. The items also feature an ode to her longtime partner, the late Nipsey Hussle, who had as much love and fervor for the city as she does. Some pieces in the collection are also emblazoned with a motto the rapper taught her: “It’s not on you, it’s in you.”
“LA is where I was born and raised and it really is such a thick stitch in my quilt,” London tells Complex. “The ‘Love Story’ part is just my love letter to LA in this clothing. And mostly on every piece, there is a quote that Nip would always say to me. And so that’s another honor and piece on the clothing that is dedicated to him.”
“As cool as the clothes are, it’s not even about that. It’s about who’s wearing it,” she adds. “And for me, just in my life, I owe so much to Hussle and I just always want to honor him and all that I do.”
The L.A. Love Story campaign was photographed and creatively directed in collaboration with London and Hype Williams, which also transported her back to her roots. “I used to model in music videos. That’s how I started,” she says. “So to have Hype Williams, a legend and icon, actually shoot my campaign for a collection that my name was on, was a full circle moment for me.”
The unisex collection is for everybody, she says, and it includes a mix of streetwear infused with her style, with prices that range from $22 to $110. It also features footwear and apparel pieces including a track jacket, track pants, hoodies, shorts, and men’s and women’s boilersuits, with a color palette inspired by the Los Angeles landscape.
Puma and London’s L.A. Love Story will be available exclusively first on the Puma mobile app starting Nov. 11 and will be available globally in select retailers and online at PUMA.com beginning Nov. 13. Complex chatted with London ahead of the release and she talked about her partnership with Puma, how her personal style inspired the new collection, her upcoming movie You People and more. Check out the exclusive photos from the campaign and our interview, edited for length and clarity, below.
Can you tell me how you are feeling about this new release?
I’m really excited. In fact, I’m nervous, which is rare. I don’t really get so nervous anymore. It means a lot to me. I put a lot of my time, a lot of my energy. I was extremely intentional with this release. And I feel very vulnerable with these pieces, because I really was heavily into designing and picking out fabrics and what these pieces mean and the name of the collection and who we used for pictures. So yeah, I’m extremely excited, because of the hard work and love I put into it.
We have to talk about the new collection’s name, L.A. Love Story. We know how much you love LA and how much that has shaped you, but what does this name, specifically, mean for you?
Well, I just wanted to stay authentic with just who I am, especially this being the first cool collection we’ve seen of me ever. LA is where I was born and raised and it really is such a thick stitch in my quilt. And then the love story part is just my letter to LA, my love letter to LA in this clothing. And mostly on every piece of the clothing there is a quote that Nip would always say to me. And so that’s another honor and piece on the clothing that is dedicated to him.
The quote is, “It’s not on you, it’s in you.” Can you talk about what that quote means to you and what you feel when you see that stitched in these pieces?
Well, what it means to me is that no matter what we adorn ourselves in, your inner light is really what shines. Who you are inside really is what shines, your core, your values, your morals, and just who you are as a person, how your soul is made up. That’s really what you are and who you are.
So it doesn’t matter what you put on and whatever mask you cover up with, it’s what is inside of you. It’s not what’s on you, which I think is really dope to have on a piece of clothing as well. Because as cool as the clothes are, it’s not even about that. It’s about who’s wearing it. And for me, just in my life, I owe so much to Hussle and I just always want to honor him in all that I do.
How would you say that LA, growing up in LA, influenced your personal style? And how much of that will fans be able to see in this collection?
So this collection is really about my natural basics. I think LA, growing up for me, I was really laid back. I lived in a sweatsuit. I lived in a tracksuit. We have jumpsuits. It’s a unisex line. And that was very important for me too, because I wanted men and women to feel a part of this collection.
So really the laid-back style of the collection, the colors, just makes me feel like how—it is pieces I have in my closet that I would put on any day and every day. I just wanted to stay true to who I really am and not pretend to be anybody else.
We see you as being feminine but with an edge. Do you feel like that represents who you are as a woman?
I wouldn’t put myself in a box in that way. I feel like me, women and people in general, we’re ever-evolving. So I don’t put myself in that box. I think I put on what’s comfortable, what makes me feel good about myself, and however that shows up, that’s where I’m going to lead with.
Working with Puma on this partnership, how was it teaming up with them to create the pieces that you’ve made together?
It’s been a beautiful partnership. They have really allowed me to be fully creative. They really are into my input and how I feel and things that really line up with who I am. It’s become a family to me at this point. We spent almost three years on this collection.
