Last Updated on 18th February 2020

The creators of James Jeans (the leader in premium luxury denim in the States) and Alkhemist Los Angeles made denim history this week when they opened the first ever licensed cannabis cultivation facility in the City of Los Angeles.

“We are excited to become the premier locally grown producer of artisanal cannabis for the Southern California market and beyond,” remarked Founder and CEO, James Chung.

Merging two worlds

The company is innovating the future of denim and apparel by merging the two worlds as a vertically integrated operator in the legal cannabis sector, under one roof.

The company’s apparel and lifestyle division, Alkhemist Los Angeles, specialises in hemp- incorporated premium denim, apparel and accessories as well as CBD-infused products made from hemp.>

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#Hemp: 10 X stronger than cotton. #sustainability #alkhemistbyjamesjeans

A post shared by Alkhemist By James Jeans (@alkhemistla) on Jun 17, 2019 at 3:09pm PDT

Sustainability at its core – LA style

The brand hopes to encourage a socially conscious “hemp lifestyle” and to help revitalise the L.A. garment industry by creating products made with renewable and sustainably-grown hemp materials. Think CBD in your morning cup of coffee and hemp clothing as the next evolution of the L.A. lifestyle. The company just launched its women’s collection of hemp-infused tees, jeans and trucker jackets and comfy hemp leisurewear.

Chung who is both a lawyer and a Chinese medical practitioner told the media this week:

“I realised that cannabis is one of the core essential herbs in Chinese medicine. Around that time is when California was moving toward full legalization with Proposition 64. That was the segue.”

Capsule hemp collection

The company aim to launch a capsule collection based on hemp materials. They will offer men’s, women's, kids and even babywear. Diapers have to be hemp, according to Chung, “they are naturally antimicrobial and anti-odour”

“We are now starting the hemp revolution…This is the beginning. I can guarantee that hemp is going to be a regular staple in our everyday apparel composition.”

Other floors will have Chinese medicine infused with CBD such as gummies and edibles.

The first one-stop hemp destination

The hemp lifestyle will be covered under one roof. They will sell hemp paper straws, hemp plastic and everything else in between. They are the first in premium denim and the first operation in L.A. to be able to legally grow the source material that they can develop.

Many layers to social consciousness

“Lifestyle is that – social consciousness. Obviously, what we eat, you have to be careful about what goes in. And I think now we are putting another layer onto it. What we wear should be equally as important.” – Chung commented

View this post on Instagram We teamed up with LA made brands to bring you a giveaway to kick off the sunny season. We aim to explore brands that give back to the community, #ethically and #sustainably. These are true locals 🌴 Come, stay, and explore the city. 👉🏼 Check out our Instagram story or click the link in our bio to enter the #giveaway 👈🏼 Winner will be announced July 22nd – so get your entry in 💥 and check out our amazing brand partners below! #alkhemistbyjamesjeans @thegivingkeys @galamaar @Maaari_co @shopconrado @floramyecbd @Selvanegra_ @behavior_la A post shared by Alkhemist By James Jeans (@alkhemistla) on Jul 12, 2019 at 11:25am PDT

LA coming to London

US cannabis brand Ignite, founded by Instagram celebrity Dan Bilzerian went on sale in the UK just yesterday and offers CBD in several formats: a rechargeable vape, drops, disposable vapes and lip balm. It is initially available online, but the brand said it was in discussions with major retailers this side of the world.

The UK campaign includes five executions that combine fashion, religious and spiritual cues, and are intended to demonstrate the balanced lifestyle the brand claims CBD can help support.

Paul Cottrell, executive creative director at Five by Five (the media agency managing the account) said: “CBD is a brand new sector in the UK and Ignite’s a new brand over here too. We needed to transpose the unapologetically feel-good, California chill-out vibe that made Ignite such a success in the US to a British audience.”

It seems consumer appetite is strong for an encompassing, non-discriminatory hemp/CBD/green lifestyle, California-style.