The Anti-Fashion Plate

Like a secret hiking trail, Nina Garduno is one of Los Angeles's hidden gems. A guru in the worlds of style, art and design, Garduno is the founder of the cult label FREECITY. A homebody who lives with her girlfriend, L Word star and Uh Huh Her band member Leisha Hailey, in the Hollywood Hills, Garduno is publicity shy and mysterious -- the Willy Wonka of street fashion. She is reluctant to be called a "designer," even though her comfy, handmade (and expensive) T-shirts, hoodies and sweatpants -- with silk-screened phrases like "Sending Light" and "Tokyo Texas" along with images of doves, hummingbirds, piano keys and childlike scrawls -- have become emblematic of California casual cool.

Garduno's FREECITY empire is expanding. In addition to a store in Malibu, Garduno is unveiling a FREECITY outpost in the heart of Hollywood later this year. "We are super excited about it," Garduno says. "It's going to feel very local. A lot more people will have the opportunity to feel the experience."

FREECITY is like a hippie version of the Parisian haute-chic concept-store Colette. You'll find everything from a $5,000 teepee to art books to ceramics and crystals. There's even an orange juice squeezer in case a customer craves some vitamin C. "There will be many things that fall under the category of unusual. We're excited to uncover all these possibilities," Garduno promises for the new location, adding, "There will be things in this Hollywood location that will be exclusive to it, things that you will only be able to get there. We're going to give it everything we've got."

Garduno grew up in Laurel Canyon in the '70s, listening to Joni Mitchell and Cass Elliot. "It was an absolutely magical experience for me," she recalls. "Nature, color, freedom, innocence. It was before any fear. We kept our doors open, keys in our car, dogs ran free. I'd sleep alone with my dog in vacant lots down the street. It was amazing." When Garduno opened the FREECITY SuperShop in Malibu in 2005, she brought along the bohemian, free-thinking vibe of Laurel Canyon. "I took those experiences with me. I realized FREECITY looked and felt like my childhood." Every August, the interior of the Malibu store is re-designed. Abstract phrases like "Life, Nature, Love" (written first on her arm on September 11th) are how Garduno starts a collection. The current phrase is "The Natural Free City History Museum/Sending Light," which has inspired several wild animal-dotted dioramas.

One of the most popular of Garduno's numerous projects is a line of T-shirts with the slogan "Artists Wanted." Each T-shirt sells for $75 and every penny goes to various charities supporting artists.

Despite her resistance to being branded a fashion designer, Garduno has been instrumental in introducing L.A. to cutting edge clothing. Starting as a sales person at Ron Herman/Fred Segal, she became the vice president for men's fashion and was one of the first people in the United States to carry then-unknown Austrian designer Helmut Lang. In the late '90s she created the R.H. Vintage label, which peaked when Madonna sported their bedazzled corduroys while supporting her Music album.

It was while trekking the globe in her early thirties that Garduno was struck with the idea for the FREECITY line and lifestyle. "I had a few days to go anywhere I wanted. Somebody said, ‘Have you ever been to Copenhagen, to the Free City?' I said, ‘What's the Free City?' They described a place called Christiania and the locals would refer to it as ‘the Free City.' Once I arrived at Christiania, I realized I had been to many places like this -- like-minded people living together to realize a different life, an unconventional life." Other free-living spots Garduno has visited for inspiration include Brasilia, Marfa in Texas, the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in the California mountains and Taos, New Mexico. "I like the idea of feeling the freedom to live unconventionally and the courage to live that life."

The team at the FREECITY workshop in Hollywood makes all the FREECITY items, which encompass everything from pianos to Sherpa hats to tricked-out colored bicycles. The arts-and-crafts atelier has a commune-like energy, with everyone helping out on projects. "The vibe at the workshop is the same vibe as the things we make," Garduno explains. "It is a very true thread between the making of FREECITY to the experience and the final creation. It is a group effort. Every soul is part of the result."