Lil Dre Brings Fashion and Music to the L.A. Skateboarding World

Photography by Ricardo Gomes

Styled by Rita Melssen and Jordan Beckett

Lil Dre is the embodiment of a triple threat. Between his skating prowess, modeling effortlessness, and musical talent, there doesn't seem to be much he can't do. Coming out of a self-starting and creatively driven generation, Lil Dre represents the pool of talent in the city of Los Angeles.

The California native talks about his influences, fashion sensibilities, and Golden State upbringing with L'OFFICIEL.

L'OFFICIEL: What was it like growing up in San Francisco?

LIL DRE: Everybody just sees the nice parts of San Francisco, but I just had so much fun with all my skate homies. I used to just skate outside of my house and mind my own business; I never got involved in the game or anything bad. I just stuck with skateboarding. Everybody in my hood respected that and protected me—everyone there loves me; they’ve known me since I was a little kid. I feel like that was my life: having fun skating; that’s all I used to do. From there I started getting different opportunities with fashion and modeling. My best friend Elon Watson is a photographer—he had a camera with him every day and he would just take photos of me, so I got used to a camera, and that’s how I got into modeling. I posted the pictures he would take of me, and from there small companies started sending me clothes, then I made skate videos in them, then bigger brands would start sending me clothes, and it kept going.

L'O: What does fashion mean to you?

LD: Fashion to me is clothes that make you feel good. It doesn’t matter what brand or if it’s designer or not, it just makes you feel like yourself. I could be wearing a whole outfit from Target and another dude could be wearing a whole designer outfit, and I’ll look better than he does. It doesn’t really matter; it matters how you feel and how you wear it. I buy thrifted stuff, I like baggy stuff. When I skateboard, all I wear is baggy clothes; I can’t skateboard in skinny pants because it doesn’t feel comfortable for me. I literally can’t skate the same.

L'O: You mentioned you made music—how did you get into it?

LD: Everyone around me was making music, and I always wanted to make music too. I just wasn’t doing it at the time. All the rappers spoke to me for some reason. I eventually started recording stuff on my own; I bought some equipment and started to teach myself how to record and I learned pretty fast. Then I started going to studios—I wasn’t really comfortable; I felt awkward—but now I'm working with producers and growing as an artist. 

L'O: Seems like you're always going. 

LD: You gotta want to do it; you can’t be a hustler if you don’t want it. I just do whatever I want, and focus on the end goal. Everybody wants to be successful and make money, but you just really gotta want it. I gotta do it from the street perspective; I’m hustling in a different way.

L'O: What's next for you?

LD: I don’t even know. Stuff just happens randomly for me. Everything is next.