Born x Raised & Vans threw a Sadie Hawkins for the creative set.
A party only two days before Thanksgiving might be a hard sell for most people, but in Los Angeles, the Born X Raised Sadie Hawkins Winter Formal is a West Coast staple. In the span of 11 years, the annual event has exploded from its humble beginnings as a gathering in L.A.’s Highland Park neighborhood to an all-out fête of hundreds sponsored by Vans. For a brand so entrenched in the cultural scene—murals of Born X Raised co-founder Chris “Spanto” Printup adorn several parts of the city—this year’s venue couldn’t have been more quintessentially L.A. Hosted at Union Station in DTLA, the casino-themed affair included an eclectic guest list with the likes of Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, Freddie Gibbs, A$AP NAST, The Kid Laroi, and Miguel, who later performed.
In a week when most of the city already starts to feel lighter (and the traffic starts to get better) from the exodus of transplants going back home, the massive space at 800 Alameda was ironically—but also expectedly—packed. By now, the brand’s winter formal isn’t just a cool blip on the holiday event calendar; it has become a gathering point for LA’s sprawling creative community—a collage of the city’s different scenes—skaters, stylists, rappers, art kids—all orbiting the same gravitational pull that is Born X Raised.
In between feathered showgirls and Casinola-branded craps tables, guests flickered around the venue catching up with longtime acquaintances, past collaborators, or friends they haven’t seen since the last big night out. It felt like every five minutes someone reunited with someone they hadn’t seen in months, punctuated by that unmistakable L.A. greeting: a quick smile, a hug, and a ‘you look amazing.’
From left: A$AP Nast, Miguel, A$AP Nast & Freddie Gibbs, Amika Akaya, Dizzy Fan
As more people drifted underneath Union Station’s cavernous art-deco ceilings, the speakers blasted a diverse blend of salsa before heading into the thumping trap mix of Jeezy. Attendees’ outfits were just as genre-bending: from a cropped, deconstructed trench coat worn as a mini dress to magnificent floor-length furs, the night’s fashion turned the party’s official formal dress code inside out and on its head. At the winter formal—long known as the place to find some of the coolest people LA has to offer—no outfit was “too much” or too over the top; being extra was precisely the point.
The vibe felt decidedly less like an industry party and more like a reunion of the who’s who of the fashion, art, and music scenes. Since its inception, Born X Raised has continually propped local culture and community into its brand ethos, taking inspiration from founders Spanto and 2tone’s roots in Los Angeles. In a city that reinvents itself constantly, the winter formal remains a rare fixture—an annual checkpoint for the culture that shaped it.
