By Jai’Michael Anderson

Local brand Louisville LOVE officially turns one year old this January, holding its first-ever pop-up event on the 27th. The event took place at the Old Louisville Coffee Co-op in preparation for its anniversary clothing drop that was released this past Sunday.

The pop-up featured a mix of older and newer items for sale including beanies, items from this year’s anniversary collection, and pieces from last year’s “1 of 1” collection which featured the brand’s printing on curated vintage pieces. The collection offers a more sustainable approach to fashion.

The pop-up lasted from 3 to 7 P.M. and saw what they described as a successful turnout. Supporters came for the clothes but stayed for the coffee and atmosphere. Such slow moments were hard to find in the typically quiet shop on Ormsby.

Customers peruse the Louisville LOVE pop-up at the Old Louisville Coffee Co-op. Photo by Jai’Michael Anderson, The Louisville Cardinal.

Louisville LOVE’s magazine, “Louisville I Love You” was also up for sale.

The brand’s co-owner, Jason, described the magazine as a way to show appreciation towards Louisville’s art community.

“We created the magazine to highlight people that we feel like need to be highlighted or are already highlighted but we need to highlight them even more because we felt like they are great at what they do,” he said.

According to Jason, Louisville has a lot to offer. The brand’s efforts have helped to showcase such talents and are continuing to do so.

“Anything you want done in Louisville or want to do in Louisville, I feel like there is that little thing you can do,” he said. “You just have to find it.”

As the brand’s co-owners, Nate and Jason began their journey selling vintage clothes individually. The design took inspiration from an image of rapper Drake from 2018, who deconstructed a “Tennessee” sweatshirt to spell out the word “Finesse”.

Louisville LOVE’s owners, Nate (left) and Jason (right). Photo by Jai’Michael Anderson, The Louisville Cardinal

It was from these images that the signature “Louisville LOVE” design was born. “Each of us had [vintage] Louisville crewnecks; we did this at separate times, and we spelled out ‘love’ within the Louisville crewneck,” Jason said.

Jason wouldn’t approach Nate with the idea of creating a brand until a few years later. In Jan. 2023, Louisville LOVE launched its first collection.

To Jason, selling his pieces is more fulfilling than only reselling vintage items.

“With selling clothes, I wanted to have a product that was actually mine,” he said. “If I see someone on the street with this brand, I know that I actually made it rather than something that I just sold them.”

Jason made it clear there is more personal involvement with buyers that comes with making his items, saying “You just feel more connected to the piece, [and] you feel more connected to the person.”

Over the past year, the brand has been rising in popularity by sticking to its mission of spreading positivity and uniting people throughout the city. Louisville LOVE has garnered the attention of many young Louisvillians including rapper Jack Harlow who first wore the brand’s design on a crewneck during Louisville Live.

Louisville utilizes local creatives and even U of L students to help model and promote the brand through creative visual efforts.

“We try to involve people who are from Louisville to try to build a community within Louisville itself”, Jason said. “That’s kind of the whole brand really; when you see someone wearing a Louisville LOVE sweatshirt, you feel a part of some type of a community. You feel like ‘Hey we both got it from the same place’.”

File Photos // Jai’Michael Anderson, The Louisville Cardinal