Local Clothing Line Offers Palisadians Opportunity to Honor First Responders

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

If you ask any Palisadian, chances are they have a story to share about a first responder who has made a difference in their life.

Lalia Susini and Cate Friedberg, who founded LATE Clothing LA while in sixth-grade at Paul Revere Charter Middle School, are giving community members a chance to honor their heroes on National First Responder’s Day, which is October 28, by naming an article of clothing in their line after them.

The line, which originally debuted on Mother’s Day 2021, offers loungewear that is designed to go “from the beach to the skate parks for tweens, teens and young adults.”

The girls met in their pre-kindergarten class at West Hollywood Elementary when they were 4 years old and have been friends ever since. They live 20 minutes from each other, and both have had exposure to the fashion and entertainment industry for as long as they can remember.

The girls cut, painted and added their own touches to each of their pieces. They began making clothes for friends, and the name of their line combines their names: “LA” for the first two letters of Lalia’s name and “TE” for the last two of Cate’s.

The two girls have been on the “fast track” to success from an early age and were immersed in a rapid-paced environment until the day a national stay at home order was issued. With the whole world on lockdown, suddenly virtualization, creativity and do-it-yourself projects became a new way of life …  and concepts for LATE began to flow.

Everything came to a halt on October 22, 2020, when Susini was in an accident at home. She remained in critical condition for five days.

Doctors predicted Susini would be in the hospital for at least one full year, but she was released after only 61 days. LATE gave her a reason to fight for recovery, giving a new meaning to their clothing line.

The LATE motto and logo is “Second Chances,” reflecting the rebirth of their life and friendship. The first collection was called “First Responders”—“named after the heroes who saved Lalia’s life,” according to a statement from the brand.

“Because there were so many people who helped her along the way, the second and third and so forth were also named after heroes from the Los Angeles Fire Department, Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and fellow patients whose support helped Lalia go from paralyzed to walking,” the statement continued. “During this process, we learned that many of Lalia’s fellow patient friends also had their own heroes, people they will never forget. It’s now time to honor their heroes on October 28 during National First Responder’s Day.”

Those who have a name to share for inclusion in the line are invited to email it to info@lateclothingla.com or mypost@palipost.com.

“Every first responder, including the nursing staff and occupational and physical therapists who put countless hours into their patients, deserve the admiration from their patients,” the statement concluded. “When talking to Lalia’s heroes, many said that after the initial accident and hospital stays, they often lose contact with their patients and would love updates. What better way to thank and update them, than to honor them by having clothing named after them.

“To make it extra special, it’s nice to know that LATE donates a percentage of every sale to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.”