Crystals, Cowboy Hats, Durags, and Dinner Jackets: Guests Went All Out at Born x Raised’s Annual Sadie Hawkins Winter Formal

For one of the biggest bashes of the year, the annual Born x Raised Sadie Hawkins Winter Formal has always maintained an IYKYK vibe, and this year was no different. Hundreds of people, all of whom somehow seemed to know each other, turned out in their finest duds to attend the function, which the brand’s co-founder Chris “Spanto” Printup describes as, “a wedding meets a bar mitzvah meets a quinceañera”. 

Wearing a Grace Jones-inspired suit embellished with pieces from Diné (Apache) jeweler Lionel Thundercloud, Printup set the dress code for the night, which was held at DTLA’s Soho Warehouse. “People in Los Angeles want to dress up and they don’t always get to,” said Born x Raised’s Alex “2Tone” Erdmann as he mingled with guests on the rooftop pool deck. “They have all these wonderful outfits and really show out and get dressed to the nines.” That said, attendees had been warned in advance that the dress code was strictly no streetwear and “if you show up in a Born x Raised hoodie you will be tarred and feathered at the door.”  

The night kicked off with a dinner sponsored by Nike, who had collaborated on a limited edition Air Force 1 Low sneaker to mark the occasion. But what had been billed as an ‘intimate’ dinner for 100 people steadily multiplied over the evening, with guests sharing both their seats and plates of wild arugula salad and sea bass as each wave of new friends arrived. 

Among those in attendance for the pre-party cocktails and dinner were Danny Trejo, Miguel, Nadia Lee Cohen, Freddie Gibbs, Kirsty Godso, YG and Mister Cartoon. “I had to come as the black James Bond this year,” said Gibbs as he lined up to have a prom-style portrait taken by photographer Carlos Jaramillo—a highlight of the event. “I always have to come as the best dressed at the Sadie Hawkins. You just gotta stay dapper at all times.” 

Created in 2013, Born x Raised’s founders describe the brand as a love letter to their hometown, eschewing the city’s influencer culture in favor of people who power the real L.A., and the party as a celebration of its creative community. “When I grew up in L.A. it was a huge melting pot for all different cultures,” Printup told Vogue. “That’s what we’re recreating with everyone here in this room. It’s the most well-rounded mix and it’s the party I want to be at.”