From South Central to Paris, Bricks & Wood’s Kacey Lynch Is Going Global

Kacey Lynch is almost home.

The founder of Bricks & Wood recently returned from Paris Fashion Week where not only did he take in the weeklong event, but he also put his own stamp on it. He hosted a pop-up at Paperboy to celebrate his second sneaker collaboration with New Balance in three years, a take on the 9060 inspired by his grandmother’s home. It was the first time the brand had activated outside of the United States. Lynch called it a huge learning experience. 

“It just taught us that it’s always worth a try. Whether it feels good or not, that risk is always worth it, especially when it’s not a risk that can break you. Whether we succeeded in Paris or not, it wouldn’t have broken us as a company,” says Lynch. “We were going up against big fashion houses, bigger brands, and bigger events, but if you ask anybody in Paris you’d hear our name as well. We really left a footprint.”

Lynch will host the third and final stop of his three-city pop-up tour this Saturday at his own Space(s) boutique in South Central Los Angeles, a fitting finale to his mini world tour, before the pair receives a global launch on Jan. 30. But right now, he’s still on the East Coast, sitting at a round table in the center of t.a., a women’s clothing boutique in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. In a few hours, the doors will open to kick off his second pop-up. The tagline for the project, “Nothing Changed but the Address” is plastered across the front windows of the space in white lettering. On Jan. 23, Bricks & Wood made New York City its temporary home.

“The idea was to give each target audience a genuine opportunity to get the shoes. Last time it was so small and so niche. We wanted to take that global approach this time,” says Lynch.

Bricks & Wood’s 9060, which New Balance in-house designer Yue Wu of “Refined Future” 2002R fame helped bring to life, perfectly illustrates the theme Lynch sought out to execute. Green hits on the sole act as the front lawn. The use of grey and off-white suede across the upper are meant to resemble the home itself. Fuzzy cream laces nod to the comforting nature of a grandparent’s home. Suede panels on the back heel can be peeled back like curtains to reveal hidden co-branding. And the baby blue liner was used because of the blue sky peaking through the background in a photo of the home Lynch provided. He was even able to shoot his grandmother on the front porch of the home that inspired the project for the official campaign.

But Lynch’s last few months aren’t all about sneakers. Back in September, he opened his first brick-and-mortar location Space(s) in South Central LA. In December, he released Bricks & Wood’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection that featured experimental cut and sew offerings from the brand like a boxy Gabardine twill blazer and a reversible ripstop vest covered in camo. The brand is writing its next chapter. And Lynch is having fun again. 

“I feel like now I’m making the things that I was always inspired to make, the things I saw in stores like, ‘Dang, I wish Bricks & Wood could make this,’” says Lynch.

A few hours before Bricks & Wood’s New York pop-up kicked off, we got a chance sit down with Lynch to discuss his 9060 collab, the resurgence of brick-and-mortar retail in streetwear, seeing Virgil Abloh’s influence all over Paris Fashion Week, and more.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.