As the son of Maxfield's Tommy Perse, designer James Perse's fashion education started early. He spent much of his youth hanging out at his dad's high fashion LA boutique or spending time at the beach. These are his two main inspirations, which he uses to create his West Coast lifestyle brand destined for the Californian shopper. His first foray into fashion design was a line of baseball caps, and he's since moved on to sporty basics like sweatshirts, tees and easy-to-wear knits.