Last week on a balmy evening in Los Angeles, eleven stylish gentlemen from the worlds of entertainment, art, sports, fashion and food came together in their finery for wine, steak, stimulating conversation…and an impromptu game of hoops. Dubbed the inaugural Gentlemen’s Supper by its hosts — shoe designer Brandon Day, film & television producer Jonas Bell Pasht and noted LA-based pop-up chef Octavio Olivas — the evening was sponsored by Generic Surplus. The festivities took place in the Trophy Room at the historic Los Angeles Athletic Club in DTLA.
The guest list included NBA star Baron Davis, menswear designer Mark McNairy, celebrated couturier Cameron Silver and TV boss Matt Hanna. Suits and neckwear were mandatory and the guests turned up in high style. Guests were treated to steak, Arctic halibut and vintage wine from Brandon Day’s personal cellar at the Club before later breaking onto the LAAC basketball court, where a rowdy but debonair game of basketball ensued until Club security cut short the fun at midnight.
GUEST LIST
CAMERON SILVER
Nicknamed “The King of Vintage” Cameron Silver opened his iconic Los Angeles store Decades in 1997, and has since become the go-to vintage stylist for celebrities. For the past 2 decades he has personally been reshaping trends on the red carpet. Named one of Time Magazine’s “25 most influential names and faces in fashion” in 2002, Cameron currently stars in “Kings of Melrose” on Bravo! and released the table top book “Decades: A Century of Fashion” to global success in 2012.
BARON DAVIS
Baron Davis is a two-time NBA All-Star, and entertainment entrepreneur. Off the court, he has produced several films and TV shows over the years, including CRIPS & BLOODS: MADE IN AMERICA, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
MARK MCNAIRY
Known affectionately as McNasty, Mark McNairy is considered one of the top menswear designers working in the US today. His Footwear collection, New Amsterdam, is sold at all major trend stores in the world and his name sake clothing line is distributed worldwide. Beyond his successful footwear and clothing lines, he is the designer of BBC Bee Line and BBC Black where he works on a daily basis with owners Pharrell Williams and Jay Z.
MATT HANNA
Matt Hanna is the Head of Original Programming for the Esquire Television Network, where he oversees the network¹s current development slate for original series and specials, creating first-run programming for the network across all genres. Hanna began his career in television at VH1, where he was Vice President, Development. Prior to that, he was the associate publisher at Spin Magazine.
JONAS BELL PASHT
Bell Pasht is a film and television producer whose most recent credits include the upcoming horror/musical STAGE FRIGHT (starring Minnie Driver and Meat Loaf) and LUNARCY! (official selection, 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, 2013 South By Southwest Film Festival). His upcoming television series HOW I ROCK IT profiles icons and tastemakers from the world of men¹s style and will premiere on the brand new Esquire TV Network in November.
BRANDON DAY
Brandon Day moved to Milan in the summer of 2006 to develop a minimal, stylish men’s shoe collection. Since the launch of Generic Man (07′) and Generic Surplus (08′) the LA based brands have become available in 20 countries in top stores such as Collette, Dover Street Market, IT and Saks as well as worn by celebrities such as David Beckham, John Ham and Joseph Gordon Levvit. In addition, Brandon has designed collections with the likes of Steven Alan, Selfridges, Urban Outfitters and Commes des Garçons, a project going into its 7th season.
OCTAVIO OLIVAS
Octavio Olivas holds a masters degree in law and is the chef, founder and owner of CEVICHE PROJECT. Octavio is originally from México City and has lived in London, New York City, and Los Angeles, where he currently resides with his wife and business partner, Shannon. CEVICHE PROJECT is a Los Angeles-based pop-up restaurant concept that aims to bring together family, friends, music and new tastes in a communal and one-of-a-kind dining experience.
BENJAMIN LIONG SETIAWAN
With a decade of writing and editing under his belt, Benjamin Liong Setiawan has covered fashion from the inside. He earned his industry stripes at Saks Fifth Avenue, Giorgio Armani, Michael Kors and DKNY before transitioning into an editorial role at Surface Magazine. He is currently editor of Esquire’s Big Black Book.
GREG CHAPMAN
Hailing from Manchester, Greg started his journey in menswear 25 years ago. After spending the better part of the nineties buying rare, dead stock sneakers for shops in the UK and Japan, he was asked to re-launch Fred Perry Footwear in 2002. In 2004 he moved to Urban Outfitters UK as head buyer, while also putting together six collaborative project for Comme des Garçons. He then moved to NY to take the role as Creative Director of the Schotts Perfecto line. In addition he oversaw the role of designer of H.W. Carters and Sons during which he directed the opening of their store in Brooklyn. In Nov 2012 he took the permanent role of creative director of Generic Surplus where he works out of Brooklyn.
RAAN PARTON
Santa Barbara-born Raan Parton is co-founder of the menswear brand Apolis which he started with his brother in 2004. He oversees the growing brand’s design and branding as well as it’s ever expanding retail footprint which includes their flagship store in DTLA. In addition to Apolis, Raan is a major force in the development of Downtown LA’s artist district as well as being involved with multiple large retail projects in LA and OC counties.
AARON ROSE
Aaron Rose is a film director, art show curator and writer who is a key part of the Beautiful Losers art movement, which has featured and helped notarize the work of artists such as Barry McGee, Steven “Espo” Powers, Harmony Korine and Shepard Fairey. In 2005, he published with Drago ³Young Sleek and Full of Hell², where he collected over 100 artists including Mark Gonzales, Ed Templeton, Thomas Campbell, Phil Frost, Spike Jonze, Sofia Coppola, Sonic Youth, Terry Richardson. He was co- curator of the Beautiful Losers touring art exhibit, and edited the collected art book released by Iconoclast in 2004. The exhibition toured the world through 2009. He is also the director of the feature documentary film Beautiful Losers, which premiered at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival. The film was released theatrically in November, 2008.