Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, designer Brooke Callahan began her career in fashion in NYC and later relocated to Los Angeles to start her eponymous label. Brooke is a self-taught designer whose line of 100% cotton poplin silhouettes offers a streamlined yet effortlessly chic approach to dressing. A refreshing addition to any wardrobe, each piece is designed, dyed and sewn locally in Los Angeles in partnership with a small team. Just like her collection, Brooke is a good time – friendly and down-to-earth, Brooke welcomed us into her LA studio to answer a few questions and show us the BC look firsthand.

Where are you from originally and what brought you to Los Angeles?

I am originally from St. Louis, Missouri. I spent the first half of my 20s in New York and was part of what seemed like a small migration from NYC to LA the second the pandemic had settled down a bit. I loved New York but consider myself to be maybe too midwestern to handle it full time. I knew LA was the best place for manufacturing plus I had a ton of friends here, so it was a bit of a “why not”. I never ever considered I would live in LA until about six months before my move but now I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.

Were you always interested in fashion and design? What was your foray into this world?

My grandma designed and made almost all of her own clothes and has influenced me tremendously. She has the best taste of anyone I’ve ever known and her personal style and design sensibility absolutely rubbed off me. She is the first person I want to show new designs to and at 92 she still offers incredibly valuable insight.

Take us back: how did your namesake collection first come to fruition?

I started making jewelry for fun in 2019 and it somehow became my full time job. I have always loved those pieces but never really wore them — they were more for my friends than me personally. I had some holes in my wardrobe I wanted to fill and luckily enough met some people at pop ups in LA who were willing to help me figure out the nitty gritty of making samples, finding a factory, etc. I have been so lucky to meet so many generous people in LA — I would not have close to the business I have now without the amazing community here.

Your silhouettes are so versatile and easy to mix and match – what prompts or inspires the Brooke Callahan look? Why are you drawn to cotton poplin?

I think the BC look is very personal to the wearer — I try not to define it too much! This is why I style most of my website photos with personal vintage, not just BC pieces. I want customers to see the product and picture how it will pair with pieces they already own. This being said, I do think the BC wearer values function, appreciates a classic silhouette and isn’t afraid of color :) I’ve always loved cotton poplin for its versatility. Poplin is super easy to dress up or down - I wore it to my rehearsal dinner and I wear it every day working from home. Poplin is also relatively affordable — you can build a whole wardrobe without breaking the bank. Also, it packs well and makes it easy to travel light.

Your selection of solid color is signature to the brand – where do you pull color inspiration from? Any temptation to work with patterned or printed fabrics one day?

I dye all of my fabric here in LA — color selection can be stressful but might be my favorite part of my job. A lot of the colors are borrowed from vintage pieces in my own wardrobe but I have also occasionally chosen based off Pantone colors, though I prefer not to. Working off of real fabric references makes the final pieces way easier to visualize and ultimately saves me $ — for this reason I can justify buying basically any vintage clothing if I like the color enough and think there is a small chance I will reference it... that can be dangerous. Beyond solids, I am sometimes tempted by stripes... but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

Where do you find yourself on your days off work?

Most of my weekend outings are pretty food driven — I try to get a sandwich at Proof Bakery once a week. On weekend nights I am always searching for the perfect red booth spot — I went to Smoke House in Burbank last weekend for the first time and Jones in Hollywood this weekend. I love a movie theater too, though I do feel for LA the second run theater scene lacks a bit... need to open a BC store/movie theater/coffee shop/whisky sour bar ASAP.

Any favorite books, shows, songs, podcasts, recipes, etc. in your orbit lately?

I just finished Mad Men for the first time last week.. truly the pinnacle. I can’t say that that era of clothing speaks to me much but the use of vibrant colors in furniture/interior design is something I wish we could go back to. I’ve also been watching a lot of British films (most recently Mona Lisa, Blow Up, Cropier) because I am visiting London for the first time in June. Music wise... obviously Addison Rae + I just bought a Blur’s greatest hits CD for my car.

Which Brooke Callahan items do you find yourself wearing most often?

The pants (and most recently the capris) will always be my most worn — they are the perfect California staple basically year round so I kind of have to force myself to wear something different. The cuff top is also the piece I am most proud of design wise and pairs well with a pair jeans — a current favorite outfit for me.

For anyone hoping to launch their own collection or brand, what advice would you give?

I think it has been really helpful to design for myself, my life, and what I need — I try to only make things that serve a purpose or fill a hole in a wardrobe that can otherwise be hard to fill. I often say that I am my own customer so anything I need most likely my customers/followers are also struggling to find. I wouldn’t consider myself a minimalist, but in creating pieces I do find myself designing for utility rather than just making something pretty. When customers feel like they NEED something rather than just want it, pieces sell themselves. A great question to always have in the back the mind is “Why does a customer NEED this?”

You recently added black to the BC color palette – is anything else on the horizon?

From day one I have wanted to make knits and I think that will finally happen this fall! I think the most simple go-to cotton sweaters will fit perfectly into the BC world and I can’t wait to build out the new category every season.

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