North Menswear: A Nod to Old California Style

In the heart of downtown Laguna, lives classic men’s boutique, North Menswear, where founder Pete Surprenant spends most of his days. Casual yet sophisticated, North isn’t lost in the SoCal wave of surf shops, but rises above the rest, taking you out of the mundane.

“The vibe and decor is a nod to old time California. It’s nostalgic and I hope it takes the customer on a bit of a journey,” shares the passionate owner.

With over 20 years of experience under his belt -- from big corporate jobs to small mom and pop shops -- Surprenant pulled the trigger on North six years ago. To find the right name, he consulted a good old fashioned dictionary, gravitating towards the word “North” -- “the fundamental direction that defines all other directions.”

“It was like that old saying, ‘Find your true North.’ My final push to be an entrepreneur and opening my own store was me finding my true North,” he explains.

Walking into the doors of North’s brick building feels as though you’re entering a stylish, successful, and uber cool studio. Masculine, yet approachable, North brings a sense of surf culture with elements of the outdoors. It’s an eclectic mix of what Surprenant likes to call a nostalgic California vibe. 

“You can never go wrong with a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt as a staple. You can never go wrong with a blue oxford. We have our classics that will forever be in style and then we dabble in a bit of trendy fabrics,” states Surprenant. “We want North to be a consistent resource for people to get really well made quality goods that will hopefully last a lifetime.”

Surprenant’s ideal vision from the beginning was to have a strong North brand — they’ve done everything from denim to t-shirts to sweaters and jackets. Along with their own styles, they feature many other California based brands that Surprenant hand selects, including Free Note, Outerknown, Banks Journal, Young Maven, and Wonderland. 

North Menswear has become a main asset to the community, dressing Laguna’s most stylish guys, and also making it easy for wives, girlfriends, mothers, and sisters to find unique gifts for their favorite dude.

“We live in a special town where the community not only embraces your business, but also embraces you personally,” says Surprenant. “The personal relationships I’ve established through that little store with the tremendous people that live here have been really special and cool.”

So what’s next for North? Surprenant is toying with the idea of doing a refresh with a new buildout. Watch out for one of their epic parties in their parking lot -- from BBQ cookouts and flea markets to live concerts and surf premieres. North has got all the classic California style we’ve been dreaming of.

Mari Verdugo is a fourth generation Laguna Beach native, photographer, and writer, who regularly buys her boyfriend gifts from North Menswear. Find her at @marielenaphoto or on her website.

Photos by: Seth Van Der Linden

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