Style Hermosa: Hometown Inspires Designer

Lisa Gallo Young, an up- and-coming fashion designer in Southern California, calls Hermosa Beach her muse.  Despite having moved to Anaheim, she comes back here for artistic research and dreams of one day opening a shop on Pier Avenue.

Patch spoke with Young about how growing up in the beach cities provided inspiration for her collection.

Hermosa Beach Patch: What do you love most about Hermosa Beach?

Lisa Gallo Young: I love the vibe. I'm always so eager to come here to look at the boutiques and architecture for design inspiration. The asymmetrical lines of the modern art and beach houses, like the ones along Manhattan Avenue, actually inspired a new collection of cuffs I designed.

Patch: What's your favorite aspect of this city?

Young: I love architecture and landscapes. A big reason why I come to Hermosa Beach a lot is because it's a great mix of both. The old Victorian homes and ultra-modern residential area is a great place to look for inspiration. You can walk a couple of blocks and you're at the beach. I love seeing what people around the beach are wearing and what the boutiques are selling.

Patch: Did your childhood in Hermosa Beach have any effect on your own style?

Young: It did. When I was 9 years old I took dance classes here, and I developed a style that reflected my beach city hometown and love for dance. I still have that vibe from the dance world in some of the pieces in my collection.

Patch: What was your first experience working in the fashion world?

Young: Before I went to Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa to study fashion merchandising, my first retail job was in Long Beach when I was 18 years old. The owner Pamela Lazzarotto had her own jewelry line, Vintage Revival. Before I was interested in designing clothing, I always loved jewelry and I was taken by the fact that she was an established jewelry designer.

I never thought I could actually launch my own brand, and I was curious as to how she got started and learned that she took a hobby and made it into a business. I wanted to do the same thing, so in college I broke into the jewelry business and designed my own pieces just to get an income. I had the experience from working at an arts and crafts fair in Hermosa Beach, helping a local designer with sewing and putting together hair accessories.

Patch: How did your jewelry line, Tied Up in Treasures, start?

Young: It started with my love and appreciation for vintage ties … which can be transformed to any type of accessory, like bracelets or headbands. The idea that I was literally using a "tied up" tie as a bracelet is how the name started.

Patch: Tied Up in Treasures now also includes clothing. What was that transition like?

Young: I still haven't completely abandoned making jewelry, but I want to concentrate on making more accessories and clothing that I can wear too. I want to share my own personal style and creativity with everyone. I started Tied Up in Treasures because I wanted to create multipurpose clothing. Everyone's style is different, so I wanted to create pieces that can be worn in more than one way.

Patch: How would you define your line Tied Up in Treasures now?

Young: It's very feminine and practical … the clothes are not entirely beachy, but it fits perfectly to the lounge-like and earthy look of Hermosa style.

Patch: Where do you see your line in five years?

Young: In five years I want to be at the point where I can't keep up with the business on my own. I think that's when I'll know that I've established myself as a designer. And, of course, I'd love to have my own boutique, maybe even on Pier Avenue.

For more Hermosa Beach style, check out our photos of street fashion around town on Facebook. The photo album is updated weekly, so please "tag" familiar faces.