Drew Bernstein (1963 – August 18, 2014) was an American

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

, fetish fashion designer and musician who founded notable clothing companies Lip Service and Kill City.

Music

Bernstein played in several punk bands including

Crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

and America's Hardcore. He once appeared in

Penelope Spheeris Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945 or 1946; sources differ) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. She has directed both documentary and scripted films. Her best-known works include the trilogy titled ''The Decline of ...

' punk film, ''

Suburbia A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

''.

Designer

Bernstein established the Lip Service clothing company in 1985 when at the age of 21 he was influenced by fashion designers of glam and death rock. Instead of continuing in their footsteps he saw a viable outlet for branding to goths and punks. In the company's beginning he relates he had a lot of wild ideas including his first success with selling leggings with prints of skulls and daggers. Blacklockoutfit776

The brand was picked up by musicians and their fans who could access the clothes through specialty boutiques such as

Retail Slut Retail Slut was a clothing store in Los Angeles, California that specialized in punk, goth, and underground fashions. Founded in 1983 by Helen O'Neill, the store heavily supported the underground scenes such as the S&M, drag and rave communi ...

and NaNa. With growth, new accounts were added including California retail chain

Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming, ...

. Close friend

Izzy Stradlin Jeffrey Dean Isbell (born April 8, 1962), best known as Izzy Stradlin, is an American guitarist. He was a co-founder and rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which he left at the height of their fame in 1991, and with whom he ...

, guitarist of

Guns N’ Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

, took one of Bernstein’s Lip Service jackets and gave it to his singer

Axl Rose W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose Jr.; born February 6, 1962) is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its incep ...

to wear. The result was a major boost in sales. In 2005, he launched the Kill City brand, his edgy contemporary men and women’s line. Bernstein opened retail stores between the ’80s and early ’90s, on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles and then on Hollywood Boulevard. Bernstein opened another Kill City store on Melrose Avenue in 2008. Bernstein sold his brands to Los Angeles-based Iron Fist, continuing to work with the company as creative director until his death of an apparent suicide on August 18, 2014. Lina Lecaro of

L.A. Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

wrote in tribute: "Throughout the company's history, Bernstein remained its heart and soul. Despite evolving, he never abandoned the flamboyant underground. He employed hundreds of rockers and club miscreants in his companies, teaching them the ropes about business and mentoring future movers and shakers. He also sponsored Hollywood club events up until his death."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernstein, Drew 1963 births 2014 deaths Goth subculture American fashion designers People from Los Angeles Suicides in California