An international gathering of vintage fashion dealers, heritage clothing brands and Americana collectors returns to the Pasadena Convention Center next week for its 19th edition and its fourth consecutive year in the city’s Civic Center District.
Inspiration LA Vol. 19 occupies Hall B of the convention center at 300 E. Green St. on Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11. Founded in 2010 by Japanese journalist and vintage fashion historian Rin Tanaka at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, the two-day show has grown from a small gathering into what the trade publication Heddels has described as one of the largest vintage and heritage wear events in the world, according to a 2013 article. Tickets are available at the door only, starting at $10.
The event’s roster features international vendors and exhibitors offering American vintage apparel manufactured from the 1900s through the 1980s, vintage-inspired and contemporary fashions from boutique and corporate American and Japanese companies, surf and skate goods, hot rods, antiques, records and audio equipment, and live music, according to the event’s official website.
Visit Pasadena, the tourism bureau operated by the Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau, lists Inspiration LA among the convention center’s featured annual events. The bureau describes the show as a vintage fashion and lifestyle event focusing on clothing, accessories and items from the 1920s through the 1990s, according to its website.
Tanaka, who was born in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, in 1970 and moved to San Clemente, California, in 1998, is also the author and publisher of the “My Freedamn!” book series documenting American vintage fashion subgenres including workwear, motorcycle culture, rock and roll and surf style.
“Around 2008, when I published my 20th title, I started planning the small party,” Tanaka said in a profile published by Voyage LA. “That was an original concept of my vintage clothing show ‘Inspiration.’”
The first Inspiration show was held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on February 12-13, 2010. In that same interview, Tanaka said the inaugural event drew more attendees than he expected. The show later moved to the Spruce Goose Dome in Long Beach and then to the Los Angeles Convention Center, where the last pre-pandemic edition took place in February 2020. After a three-year hiatus, the show relocated to the Pasadena Convention Center with its 14th edition in April 2023, according to the event’s archive.
The event’s logo and graphic were created by Shawn Stussy, the founder of the Stüssy streetwear brand, according to the Inspiration LA website. Stussy, who began selling logo-emblazoned surfboards and T-shirts from Laguna Beach in the early 1980s, is widely credited with helping to bridge surf culture and urban street fashion.
This year’s sponsors include RRL (Double RL & Co., the Ralph Lauren heritage brand), Calbee, Lecs, Freenote Cloth and Handly, according to the event website.
Two after-parties are scheduled in Los Angeles: a Friday evening party at Freenote Cloth, 5509 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, from 7 to 10 p.m., and a Saturday evening party at RRL Melrose, 8150 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, from 7 to 10 p.m., according to the event website.
Ticket prices range from $10 to $80. The Early Bird ticket, at $80, covers both days with entry from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day and early access during setup. A two-day pass costs $50, with Friday entry from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday-only preview tickets are $40, Saturday all-day tickets are $20, and Saturday afternoon tickets are $10. Note: The event’s official ticket page contains date discrepancies in the listed hours for certain ticket tiers; attendees should confirm details directly with the organizer.
The Pasadena Convention Center, a LEED Gold-certified facility in the city’s Civic Center District, is accessible from major freeways and is within walking distance of Old Pasadena. A March 27 post on the Inspiration LA website notes multiple parking options near the venue.
Inspiration LA Vol. 19 takes place Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, at Pasadena Convention Center, Hall B, 300 E. Green St. Tickets at the door only: $10 to $80. Phone: (626) 795-9311. Information: inspirationla.com.
“More audience than I expected visited my show,” Tanaka said of the first Inspiration gathering in 2010, in the Voyage LA interview. Sixteen years later, the show he built fills a convention hall in Pasadena.