The Scruffy, Stylish Love Of Jesse Rutherford And Devon Carlson

Samuel Hine

Jesse Rutherford dressed like a rock star way before he actually became one. “I shopped at Hot Topic when I was really, really young,” admits the frontman of the L.A. band the Neighbourhood. “Like, inappropriately young.” Got-sent-home-from-school-for-wearing-a-fishnet-shirt young. (Really.) And since he grew up in Thousand Oaks, a Southern California exurb he calls the “Middle America of California,” he spent a lot of time scouring the racks at the local mall.

<cite class="credit"><strong>On Jesse Rutherford:</strong> T-shirt, vintage / Shorts, by Champion / Boxer shorts, by Supreme / Sneakers, by Versace / Socks, by Tommy Hilfiger / Hat, by Kangol / Custom necklace, by Chanel. | <strong>On Devon Carlson:</strong> T-shirt, vintage / Pants, by Iamgia / Shoes, by Dr. Martens</cite>
On Jesse Rutherford: T-shirt, vintage / Shorts, by Champion / Boxer shorts, by Supreme / Sneakers, by Versace / Socks, by Tommy Hilfiger / Hat, by Kangol / Custom necklace, by Chanel. | On Devon Carlson: T-shirt, vintage / Pants, by Iamgia / Shoes, by Dr. Martens

Rutherford, 27, worked at Vans, Journeys, Urban Outfitters, and Active skate shop throughout his teen years. When his fashion ambition outpaced the selection at the various stores in The Oaks, his local mall, he simply started dipping into the women's section. A style freak was born. “Showing up in a Target women's blouse or something was more interesting to me than wearing normal shit,” he says. The mall isn't just where he honed his fearless, gently grimy SoCal look. It's also where he met fellow local Devon Carlson—now a certified A-list vlogger, model, and entrepreneur—between screenings of Spring Breakers. (He was leaving, she was arriving. They've been dating pretty much ever since.) “We love clothes so much, it totally makes sense that we met at the mall,” says Carlson, 24, whose highly advanced cool-girl uniform involves slinky slip dresses, tiny sunglasses, and, for the time being, a walking boot occasioned by a Dua Lipa impression gone wrong.

Finger tats, studded leather, and pins galore: Mall style and high fashion now intersect in strange and beautiful ways. And few get that better than these two.

“I used to change my clothes five times a day when I was 7 or 8 years old.” —Jesse Rutherford

In 2019, even the highest-end luxury goods get the DIY treatment: Carlson gave Rutherford his Louis Vuitton bag, and he added a chain strap—like Virgil Abloh would do months later for his debut LV show.

These days, the couple share an apartment an hour's drive east, in L.A. proper. Rutherford still wears punk tees, but the ripped jeans are now designer, and the bag's Louis Vuitton. He has, however, put away the fishnet shirts. “It's like wine—the older I get, the more my style matures,” he says. “But I'm also happy that I've taken all the risks that I have.” So is Carlson, who says she intuitively selects outfits that coordinate with Rutherford's. With so many garms packing their closets, they've got a handy rule for getting dressed in the morning: “Wherever we are,” Carlson says, “we want to make sure we look like we came together.”

Finger tats, studded leather, and pins galore: Mall style and high fashion now intersect in strange and beautiful ways. And few get that better than these two.
Finger tats, studded leather, and pins galore: Mall style and high fashion now intersect in strange and beautiful ways. And few get that better than these two.
On Rutherford: T-shirt, vintage | On Carlson: Jacket, by Schott NYC

Samuel Hine is GQ's assistant style editor.

A version of this story originally appeared in the February 2019 issue with the title "The Scruffy, Stylish Love Of Jesse Rutherford And Devon Carlson."