The Golf Le Fleur* Expérience

WRITTEN by July Flowers

 When asked to write an article on my experience at the Golf Le Fleur pop-up, I find myself still trying to figure out where this story should technically begin. Going to the Le Fleur* event was not planned out by any means, it was something that was brought to me in the spur of the moment, truly a blessing that I never expected. Before I get into the deep end of this experience, I wanted to express my immense thanks and gratitude to my good friends David Diaz and Mitch Tennis. You two have pushed me in ways that have fortified my creative/ artistic direction, and have proven to me that everyone has the ability to accomplish accolades that seem untouchable. Thank you.

  So, like I said before, I really don’t know where I should start when it comes to this experience. The cards were quite literally stacked against us once we began our drive to Le Fleur hill. The cards consisted of:

1-      Sleep Deprivation... Many of us did not sleep the night before amongst the rush of our personal preparations for the event. It was safe to say that we spent the majority of the night before digging through our closets for our best outfits to wear.

2-      Time… Simply put, we all live in Fresno CA, roughly a 3-4 hour drive away (on a good day) from Malibu CA where the Le Fleur event was taking place. We had planned to wake up at 6:00 AM in order to hit the road around 7:00 AM to allow us time to make the 11:00 AM event. Needless to say, none of us woke up at 6:00 AM. We didn’t hit the road collectively till 9:00 AM, and if anyone has ever experienced driving on the I-5 freeway, it's very common to experience a traffic jam every couple of miles. The drive needless to say was not P.

3-      Car Troubles… So... right as I was about to leave, I thought it would be a good idea to check my vehicle’s oil and water to make sure things went smoothly for the trip. Turns out the car was in a dire need of oil and antifreeze which meant I had to go to my dealership to buy the necessary fluids which set me back an hour or so from my departure time.

4-      The Drive… Now I’m no stranger to LA traffic but for some reason on the road that day every damn driver was choosing violence. The amount of times I missed an exit due to a driver cutting me off in the lane was unreal and frustrated me greatly. Mainly because the alternate exits that I had to take caused us to waste more time on the road.

Now that all that's out of the way…Enjoy.

I had been on the freeway for about 4 hours now, driving to some location in the hills of Malibu CA, Kid Cudi playing full blast as my friend David reassures me that the drive is almost over and we will be there “with our toes out, stunting on em”. The feelings of stress and overwhelming frustration began to water down as the scenery of congested lanes and blinking hazard lights began to turn to roads leading into mountains and hills with views that give your imagination a slight taste of what’s to come. It was a surreal moment knowing that we were in the home stretch of our journey, regardless of all the unfortunate time constraints that we experienced, we knew our misfortune would be worth it. And the one thing that cemented that feeling in us, was seeing a small wooden sign colored Geneva Blue with a large “F*” at the base of a mountain road.

      As we followed the series of blue signs weaving through the tight and windy road, we eventually arrived at the entrance of a large wine vineyard. As we pulled up to the parking lot, the first thing our eyes began to feast upon was the line of all white Vintage Rolls Royce limousines standing idle as valets stood prepared to help the next crop of guests into their cab. A woman flagged our car down asking us if “we were going to be drinking tonight?”. David and I exchanged a look of confusion for a brief moment… I didn’t know it was that kind of event … Yet after a moment the woman realized we were not here to go ham on some of the town's finest Cabernet Sauvignon, and showed us to our parking spot. Once we finally parked it was like a great weight was lifted off my neck and shoulders, the serotonin began to flow as I made my way to the nearest restroom to change out of my driving clothes and into something more fitting for the occasion… and as always, Everyday is Fit Olympics  (Word to P.$.P.B.)  

   I wore my blue oversized Dogma “Collage Patchwork '' hoodie , Black Dogma Folk 97’ carpenter pants accented with Borro carpenter panels. White Imran Potato Gucci pattern socks. With my skylight/ french vanilla/ bison Gianno’s. Mans was looking like a gold medalist ya huuuurrrdd. 

I also wore my Green Tortoise lens Golf shades from 2019, an enamel Bee pendant from Golf, my Butlerpeach pendant , and a black pearl necklace by Lucky Devil Jewelry.

    Once David and I made our outfit changes we eventually made our way to the valet check-in, we gave our names, and were led to the next available R.R limousine. Once we took our seats our driver drove out of the lot and began driving us up the hill to the event. As we slowly made our way up I asked the driver how his day had been, and how it was driving this vintage gem of a vehicle. To much of my surprise the driver did admit driving up the mountain road in the Rolls isn't an easy task , mainly  due to the immense weight of the vehicle, the vehicle's limited speed, and obvious lack of power steering. We went on to commend our driver, and told him he was a “G”. 

    During this conversation I had realized that besides riding in a vintage gem of a whip, there were some recognizable gems parked alongside the winding road leading up the hill. All the vehicles we saw going up the mountain were vehicles I speculated to be owned by T. It's hard for me to recollect by memory the exact vehicles I saw, but some notable whips were T’s rally cars. A Blue & Dark Blue Lancia Delta Integrale ( The Blue Lancia was featured in the WUSYANAME music video; the blue color on this vehicle is similar to the Geneva Blue nail polish, The Dark Blue Lancia could've been green? Maybe black?). A Pink Fiat Abarth 131 ( Most recognizable for its appearance in the first round of C.M.I.Y.G.L Album Advertisements.) I believe I saw a black  Rolls Royce Phantom II, but I most definitely saw the big body Green Rolls Royce Cullinan parked at the entrance of where our cab was heading to drop us off. As our cab made its way onto the stone turnabout there stood a valet waiting to get the door for us as we arrived. Should probably mention all valets and store assistants, were dressed in Le Fleur* from head to toe. As David and I made our way out of the cab thanking our driver, our door assistant ( Isaak Adoyi ) opened the door and greeted us with a “Welcome to Le Fleur*”. The Le Fleur* shop stood smack center in the middle of the event space. The structure of it was reminiscent of a clay adobe,yet instead of your usual shade of clay red/ beige, this adobe was Geneva Blue accented with round windows, and topped off with a black lettered Golf Le Fleur* sign. As I looked to my right I saw Mitch and walked over to greet him and check to see how he was doing after the drive. After a short exchange of words I noticed someone approaching to my left, and to much of my surprise it was the man of the hour himself.  We shook hands and he thanked us for making the trek to experience what he had been working on for the past few years. After a few more words with T, I made my walk around the event area getting a feel for everything , and I will say the atmosphere was invigorating. The Le Fleur* adobe shop stood at the top of a small ridge amongst an open horizon of tree covered hills, and exposed stone mountains. The sun was bright and warm, yet the wind was constant, cool, and comfortable. It felt like those days where the sun is beating on your back but you don't care cause the breeze keeps you cozy. It was a very good day. 

    After basking in the sun, I made my way to the adobe to peek at the upcoming Le Fleur* collection. The space was incredible, the interior walls and floor were wooden and unstained, which complemented the various shades of Browns, Oranges,and Blues of the garments that hung on the rack. As I walked through ,the first thing I noticed on the wall were leather loafers with a gold Le Fleur* buckle.  These shoes looked very similar to the Doc Marten-esqe shoes we’ve seen Tyler wear before in public, except these shoes seem to be an upcoming collaboration with Solovair.  Next to the Solovair shoe display was something I didn't entirely expect to see. It was a display of a doll, fully decked out in Le Fleur*. In the catalog the doll is identified as Benjamin Blue. The doll was wearing a green Le Fleur* leopard print vest, rolled up khaki shorts, blue shoes, and had a Le Fleur* leopard print suitcase propped up beside the figurine. To the right of Benjamin Blue were some Blue and Cream colored Ushankas accented with gold Le Fluer* pins, as well as a brown/cream leopard print suitcase.  Below these displays was the rack of all the garments featured in the upcoming Le Fleur* release. When it comes to the quality of the garments, I will emphasize that the attention to cut and detail was immaculate, down to the neck tags. I touched and examined every piece, and cross examined the garment specifications in the catalog provided by the Le Fleur* staff. A few things I will recommend for some of you to keep in mind regarding the garments are that most if not all of the garments are made with high quality fabrics ( combed italian cotton, silk, mohair, alpaca, wool, etc.) that will require extra attention in the wash. Most of the garments are labeled to be Dry Cleaned Only as well. And I understand many supporters of T have different feelings regarding the price of Le Fleur’s* products. Which I will say that after examining all the pieces on the rack, taking into account the quality and materials used to make the garments. I will say that the prices are representative of the quality, construction, and feel of the garment accordingly. 

     After examining the garments on the rack I looked over to the glass display table which had a plethora of accessories to view, such as the moleskine notebooks, leather stickers for the Globe-Trotter trunks, The Bel-Air and Sunseeker sunglasses, passport covers, tester bottles of French Waltz, the whole nine. Across from the accessory table was a display for the French Waltz fragrance and Nail Polish, which I would say a lot of guests spent their time browsing over. To the left of the fragrance and polish display was a series of the  Globe-Trotter Trunks as well as the pink Digi-Leopard suitcase, I will admit these trunks were a little too rich for my blood, but after reading the speculations and seeing the use of pebbled leathers, vulcanized materials, and 14k gold hardware, it's pretty easy to understand where the price-point is coming from.  I would safely identify the Globe-Trotter Trunks as the focal collaboration for this event and to anyone who purchased a trunk or case from this collection. You ballin’ NO KIZZY.   After some time a store assistant walked over to me and helped me purchase a few items from the shop. I had picked out a khaki bucket hat, a Le Fleur* pin, a moleskine notebook, a nail polish set, and a bottle of the French Waltz fragrance. After checking out I was told to go and enjoy the event  while my items were getting prepared. It was at this moment I decided that I had enough time in the store stressing over things to buy and went around the grounds with my camera catching moments. 

     As I looped around the Le Fleur* shop I noticed my friends had gathered around this Le Fleur* Bellboy statue that was holding two suitcases with the words ”Le Fleur*” embossed on them. As I pulled out my camera to take a photo of the statue I failed to realize that Mitch was exchanging words with Christian Clancy. And off to the side out of earshot was David exchanging words with Tyler. After introducing myself to Clancy I had some time to mingle and ask some questions and honestly. It was humbling to hear the conversation held between Clancy and Mitch, especially with the history of Clancy working as Tyler, The Creator’s manager, and Mitch having a hand in keeping the Golf community updated with current events. They spoke about the trials and tribulations that Tyler & Clancy had faced  in the early years of Odd Future, through the stages of Golf Wang, to the inevitable rise of Golf Le Fleur*. I will be honest it was surreal to hear what Clancy had to say about his time working with Tyler. I’m sure those of you reading who have followed Tyler’s career over the years have developed your own “story arc” of all the trials and tribulations he has faced as an artist. I know some of you reading may even feel proud as a fan to see how far Tyler has come regardless of all the barriers he had to break. To hear Clancy give us his perspective on the hard and beautiful times of his career hit home for me. Mainly due to the fact a lot of the emotions he expressed were collectively shared, understood, and felt amongst Mitch and I. The only difference being that Clancy’s perspective was solidified from years of being in the trenches of Tyler’s career, and getting to hear what he had to say humbled and enlightened my perspective. The best way that I can describe the whole wibe of the conversation honestly felt like one of those nostalgic talks you have with your uncle at a family cook-out. 

     After some time of mingling and taking photos, I felt a tap on my shoulder , and turned around to see an assistant (Roy Rivers) holding 2 cream colored bags containing my recently purchased items. I shook his hand and thanked him, and began to take another stroll around the area taking photos and enjoying the atmosphere. At one point I was pretty much zen’d out frozen looking towards the mountains in the distance. I suppose I was just having a moment to take in everything that was around me. I will be honest I don't remember how long I clocked out from reality at that moment, but I snapped out of it when I heard someone ask “You good?” from behind me. Sure enough entering my vision from my blind spot was Tyler, walking up with his hand extended. I was a bit caught off guard not going to lie, but I dapped Tyler up and assured him that I was “fine and just enjoying the view.”... He then responded with “Alright baby girl, take it easy n’ enjoy yourself.” and walked over to the group where my friends were mingling. I realize now that I didn't get to see as much of the event area around the Le Fleur shop as I would have liked. Yet at this point in the story I only had about 30 mins left before the last limousine arrived to take us back down the hill to our cars. And for the majority of the last 30 minutes I spent walking around taking photos and mingling with other guests at the event.  I will say trying to recollect this whole trip has been a bitter sweet experience, there are moments that I wish I could recollect from memory but a lot of it is a blur besides from the core moments I expressed through the story you just read. Being someone who has been a fan since the Odd Future/ Loiter Squad days of Tyler’s career , Le Fleur to me/ in my opinion is the biggest “coming of age” moment for Tyler as an artist, in terms of T cementing himself as someone who can hold the line on all fronts of the creative medium that myself and many others recognize, respect, and aspire to reach in our own creative echelons. At this point I have nothing else to really say regarding my time at Le Fleur Hill. 

 But I want to express my thanks once again to my two friends David and Mitch for continuing to be prominent figures in the Golf community & giving me the keys to open door’s that led me to new experiences and possibilities as an artist. 

I want to also express my thanks and gratitude to Tyler for inviting us to experience the world and vision of Le Fleur. You continue to prove to all of us that hard work, faith, and execution of an idea will lead to the success we envision for ourselves. Keep doing what you're doing baby girl, the world is watching with proud eyes. 

Thank you to Tate for waiting patiently, patiently,  PATIENTLY …for this story to be written, and for allowing me to tell it on this edition of CRISIS Vol 2. 

If you made it to the end of this story.. Thank you for your time, and thank you for your interest. 

• July

        Written by- Julio C Flores Jr. @_july.flowers_

        Photos by- Julio C Flores Jr. @_july.flowers_ 

        Illustrations by- Araya Shon Tara @arayaperson