The grand opening of Illest OC was dope. I have no other words to really describe how great it went. It’s very rare that people will have such an amazing opening with a following and support group that Illest has. Mark Arcenal is the man opening a new store that not only promotes fashion but combines different aspects of art and car culture and so much more into a single stop.

I happened to be in town for a wedding this weekend and I just so happened to be in the Orange County area that morning to prep for the wedding. All signs pointed towards stopping by the opening and meeting new people. Was I stoked? You bet.

The opening was at 10:00am and the first 100 people would get a special gift. I arrived around 11:00am and the line was out the door and down the sidewalk. As I rolled by looking for a parking spot, the endless number of cars out at this event was spectacular. Great job to Minh for putting it together and being able to manage it all while helping with the store opening. It was refreshing to see how supportive the automotive scene was to a store opening – that in turn, supports the scene as well.

As I waited for Yogi to respond to my text about snapping photos inside, I made my way outside taking photos of all the cars and people. Needless to say, I was impressed by the amount of quality cars for what was essentially just a meet. As I was finishing up, Yogi came out to get me and I got to go inside to take pictures. The store layout is great with windows all around the front which gives it a very open feel. The art on the walls was awesomely paired with the two cars sitting in the store.

All in all, I met a bunch of new faces that I hope to see around the next time I go back. The store is definitely a hit and I’m excited to see the car rotations it has and what it has for the public in the future. Kudos and props go out to the entire Fatlace/Illest crew for making it happen and doing a great job.

-Harrison Wang
@bigharrywang