Introducing Cotton Citizen and Their LA Operation

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• A few pieces that are currently available at Fred Segal.
• An example of Cotton Citizen's unique washes. All pockets have a signature horizontal line.
• The line features basics like tees, tanks, and hoodies, as well as asymmetrical-hemed maxi dresses and drop-crotch sweatpants.
• Paging Kanye: These metallic coated hoodies are made for the stage.
• Cotton Citizen's PFD (prepared-for-dye) garments awaiting their colorful fate.
• Head of Operations Daniel Rosen's colorful tatts feature the state bird and flower of Michigan, where he's originally from.
• More pieces before the dyeing process.
• Where the dye magic happens.
• After the in-house wash and dye process, it's time for the finishing touches. A grinder is used to give Cotton Citizen shirts that distressed, raw edge.
• Dyed, finished, and ready to go for the ENK trade show in Las Vegas, February 13-15.
• This is what a studio looks like during trade show prep (read: a productive mess).
• Three fourths of the Cotton Citizen team (L-R): Daniel Rosen, Andrew Nah, and Adam Vanunu.

Few brands can say that they scored a high-profile partnership right out of the gate, but Cotton Citizen did just that. After showcasing their debut collection at the ENK trade show in Vegas last fall, the LA knitwear label was approached by Fred Segal, who immediately offered them a spot inside their celebrity-favored Ron Robinson boutique. They officially launched there in December and quickly generated a cult fan base that includes actor/musician Jared Leto and style influencer Kristin Reiter.

It's been a long time since a new player has come along to shake up our city's knitwear game, so we had to find out if Cotton Citizen was a legitimate contender. After visiting their massive LA factory, where we got up close and personal with their unique collection of everyday basics and met the cool young crew behind the brand—Adam Vanunu (President), Daniel Rosen (Head of Operations), Andrew Nah (Wash and Dye Director), and Michelle McKay (Design)—we can truly say that these guys are the real deal. Flip through the gallery for snaps from our field trip and read below for our chat with Rosen.

What sets Cotton Citizen apart from other local lifestyle brands?
One major advantage is that all of our wash and dye is done in-house, which allows us to experiment with different fabrics, colors and washes on the fly. Everything is processed by hand and we only choose the softest and most luxurious fabrics that work best with our dye processes.

Is everything done in LA or is anything outsourced?
We're very proud to be a local company, so it's important to us that everything happens and continues to happen in LA. Our fabric is knitted, cut and sewn here, and everything is washed and dyed here. We work with a select group of local fabric mills, fabric cutters and sewers to produce our collections.

Will it be difficult to keep everything LA-based when you grow?
Since Cotton Citizen is located in an 80,000 square-foot factory with a staff that has the ability to produce 20,000 units per week, we say bring it on!

Who would you love to see decked out in Cotton Citizen?
The list is always growing, but some of our dream clients are Ryan Gosling, Miranda Kerr, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bar Rafaeli, David Beckham, Natalie Portman, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Candice Swanepoel.
· Cotton Citizen [Official Site]
· Update: C&C California Stays, Cotton Citizen is a New Line [Racked]