The Los Angeles label MATE focuses on creating vintage-inspired and quality driven garments.

For their latest creations they teamed up with a great team to produce a lookbook one just has to love. “Our ‘Always Go’ collection was shot in Malibu, CA by Bryan Rodner Carr and stars Delilah Parillo. The collection is filled with effortless tees and graphics with the ultimate worn in feel. The entire shoot is white washed and beachy and the lookbook has us craving a summer getaway by the beach or a ticket to one of many favorite tropical locations like Bali, Tulum, and The Bahamas included in the collection.” tells us Mate founder Kayti O’Connell Carr and in the following interview we go more into details about inspiration behind the collection and the shoot.

What was your inspiration for the collection?

Our Spring collection is all about travel, adventure, and the desire to ALWAYS GO. I love exploring new places and making sure to take time to get away from the day-to-day grind and enjoy the world. Pieces from this collection include some of my favorite destination spots around the world.

Delilah Parillo was your model for this lookbook, what was your favorite part of working with her?

Delilah is such a pro. She is very comfortable in her own skin and embodied the MATE girl effortlessly.  It was very hard to make selects, as there were SO many great photos to choose from.

Who is the mate girl?

The MATE girl is a bit of a tomboy, she is laid back with her style, and she is a total badass. I always wanted to create a line for girls who loved a worn in tee and would spend hours at flea markets searching for the best vintage tee.

What is it like to produce the line entirely in LA?

I am from Orange County and have lived in LA for 12 years and keeping things local has always been very important to me. Working with local factories and suppliers has allowed me to remain super hands on with each step of the process. I have built personal relationships with sewers, dye experts, fabric suppliers, and so many different individuals that bring a single design to life.

I also feel it is important to support local business to provide safe jobs for workers. Factory workers overseas do not have the same hours, conditions, or benefits that individuals have domestically.