We first started speaking to Clement Taverniti almost two years ago when he had just started to ideate his vision for a new retail experience for the running community in LA. It was clear from the jump that when he was ready to open his store, that we wanted to be a part of it.

But as we know all too well here at Bandit, the road to opening opening a retail store is dark and full of terrors. But regardless of what we can only assume was Clement facing every retail obstacle in the book, he persevered with LSD finally opening for the LA run community this past March in Echo Park. We truly believe that this modern approach to retail is integral to the growth of the running industry as a whole and we're psyched to have been a part of his journey from day one.

Now let's get to it...

Who are you? What’s your background?

My name is Clement Taverniti, 35, originally from the south of France. My background is in menswear design - I worked for Maison Kitsune and Dries
Van Noten before launching my own brand under the name STILL
GOOD. I ended up moving to LA 5 years ago for a job opportunity in the
fashion industry.

Tell us a little about the origin story of LSD. Why’d you found it?

Well, I was already really into running before moving to LA, and coming
from the fashion industry, all those independent cool niche running
brands like you (Bandit), Soar, District Vision etc... inspired me to run even more. The product aesthetic, the image, the vibe, the atmosphere , the cool community that all these brands have been able to create was really attractive to me. They all gave me more confidence to run - it was just super inspiring to me and I just felt compelled to be a part of this new running movement, one way or another.

I truly believe that running with style made me run even better - I just had more motivation. 

I ultimately realized that it was just impossible to find a place in LA
to shop any of these brands, which was quite surprising when
you think about how big the running community is here.

The only option was depressing old running stores with zero vibe... (sorry I had to express that!)

I was getting super bored working for a corporate clothing company
here - it was just totally different than what I was expecting, and so I was already
starting to dream and envision myself in a place where we could find
all these modern brands in a space reflecting my vision, which would hopefully bring together the LA running community - I just really felt that they deserved a place like that.

Long story short, one of my old, best friends and a former business partner in my
previous brand, Lenny Power, who is from London, moved to LA! A very convenient coincidence! 

So we met up again in LA in 2021 after a few years without seeing each
other and I pitched him the idea I had behind LSD and my passion for running

Luckily, he loved the idea and boom... he decided to take the risk and to start this new exciting journey with me. We started working on it together immediately back in 2021. 

Was there something missing in run-retail that you’ve tried to fill in
LA?

Kind of everything - merging fashion with running was key to me as it hadn't been done here in the LA market. Creating a space that has a strong
and modern design layout was also very important to me so runners
could really feel like they were stepping into the next generation of running stores.

Overall, for lack of a better word... the "cool" element of running just felt like it didn't exist in LA, and it felt like a personal mission for me to resolve that. 
But more than that, this new running scene deserved a space that
reflects their aesthetic while fulfilling their needs, so my goal was to
create that space for them to come, gather and connect. I also really want to give this community a voice, while hilighting the amazing personalities through individual and group collaborations and storytelling. There's an urgent need to give back to this community and I'm trying to do that by using LSD as a platform for the community.

How would you describe the running community in LA? Is there
any particular reason why you felt like a concept like LSD would
meld well with the city and neighborhood where you’re specifically
located?

It's a really big community and it continues to grow. There are a lot of run
clubs making running super attractive for a wider variety of people than were traditionally marketed to in this sport.

Echo Park is one of my favorite neighborhoods of LA - people are
authentic, down to earth, artsy and they generally appreciate design and fashion. It instinctively felt like people in this area would understand and appreciate our concept.

The neighborhood is also just simply a great running destination with the Echo Park lake and the Elysian Park that are just a few steps away from us.

How would you describe the community that you bring together at
LSD?

Amazing and extremely enthusiastic. We really blessed for this
community. They have been supporting
us since day 1. I really just want to say THANK
YOU for being here, being you and understanding and supporting our
vision. Their positive energy is really inspiring to us. 

What’s been the biggest challenge operating and growing your
own retail store?

The reality of opening a business, the up and the downs, the financial
investment, all the administrative processes around it. We had about a 2
year delay which was extremely frustrating. But we never gave up - our passion was
stronger than anything else and we stayed strong and optimistic in order to
make this a reality. Opening a business is exactly like running a race, you push through to the finish line even though it's getting hard.

How about a favorite memory since you opened?
Probably the first event ever that we have been able to do with the
store, which was with BANDIT!

What do you hope more for in the sport of running? What needs to
go? Let’s get some opinions here :)

We love music, and we hope to create more events that would involve
music in a much bigger way. We feel like, for us, music would be the
other element that would give us the motivation, the energy and the
confidence to run. The music element is pretty strong and present in
the European running scene, and thats what we want to bring to LA and
the US as a whole.

Shout out to Mental Athletic, Runners Highest, Eight Lines, Distance, Ka Yo,
Carbon.... they're really evolving the way that people look at the sport of running,
and we need more of that here in the USA.


What’s next for LSD?
Continuing to build a vibrant running community, creating even more
cool events and collaborations with brands and runners to create an
even stronger impact in the running scene. Making more connections with
enthusiastic runners - that's what inspires us and gives us the motivation to
fight to create and offer much more to them. Giving back is our
constant, everyday goal.

... And potentially expanding into another location in the next couple of
years.