ABOUT
SKINGRAFT was founded in Los Angeles, California in 2006 by brothers Jonny and Christopher Cota.
Credited with pioneering the new American avant-garde, SKINGRAFT’s roots in performance art-inspired fashion influence its seasonal collections, where music and its lifestyle-driven subcultures play a large part in defining the cuts, colorways, and fabrication of the brand’s signature dark, draping designs.
After graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz, Jonny joined an underground performance art troupe. As the lead costume designer for the stage, with limited resources and massive creative energy, Jonny sourced vintage leather jackets from thrift stores, deconstructing individual pieces, then retailoring the leather scraps to create dark, avant garde performance art pieces. From this organic process the name SKINGRAFT was born.
After earning his MBA, Christopher joined Jonny in Los Angeles, where the brothers opened SKINGRAFT’s office and showroom in what has since become L.A.’s burgeoning arts district. The brand’s HQ — at the intersection of the film and music industry and the high fashion world of celebrity styling — allowed SKINGRAFT to carve out a highly influential niche among the the world’s most prominent pop icons.
International tastemakers including Rhianna, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, A$AP Rocky, Kid Kudi, 2 Chainz, Missy Elliot, Usher, Ciara, Mary J. Blige, P. Diddy, Wiz Khalifa, The Black Eyed Peas, Juliette Lewis, Barry Manilow, Marilyn Manson, and Britney Spears have all worn SKINGRAFT, both on stage and on the street.
Since inception, SKINGRAFT has been featured on countless television shows and films, including True Blood and The Hunger Games. Global press outlets have also taken notice, with editorial coverage spanning WWD, Vogue Italia, Elle, Elle Mexico, Elle Italia, GQ, The L.A. Times, Style.com, Flaunt, Nylon, and even the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine.
Even as SKINGRAFT continues to push boundaries and redefine its brand ethos season after season, it is always identifiable by its unique layered aesthetic and standout silhouettes — often imitated but never duplicated.