Yahoo Movies Amazon’s ‘Fairfax’ Season Two Theme Revealed
Season two of “Fairfax” — the animated Amazon series that parodies Los Angeles’ streetwear culture — will be centered on brand loyalty, revealed show creators Matthew Hausfater, Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley.
The trio hinted at the theme in the last five minutes of the first season’s finale, when the newly opened Off-Brian store (a clear reference to the late Virgil Abloh’s Off-White, with characters sporting the brand’s signature yellow industrial belt) is seen as the hottest place to be, completing with beloved Latrine (yes, Supreme, which, as hypebeasts are well aware, has its shop on North Fairfax Avenue — L.A.’s streetwear mecca).
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“We can say that the way that season ends kind of rocked the block in a big way in season two,” Riley said.
“There’s a very fun, you know, Coke versus Pepsi, and where do you stand, and where’s your loyalty?” added Hausfater.
“Fairfax” made headlines when it premiered last month; being the first of its kind, the question was, is it mocking streetwear culture? The creators don’t see it that way.
“One of the main rules that we told our writers, if our show has any, is that we’re laughing with the kids in this world,” Riley said. “We’re not poking fun at them.”
What it is, instead, is a satirical, humorous and exaggerated look at that world, specifically in L.A., where, during any day or time of the week, kids can be seen lining up for hours awaiting their favorite brand’s newest drop.
At the core of the story is four friends — middle schoolers Derica (voiced by Kiersey Clemons), Benny (Peter S. Kim), Truman (Jaboukie Young-White) and new kid Dale (Skyler Gisondo) — chasing social media likes, clout and Latrine’s latest coveted item, a Dr. Phil box T-shirt.
“It wouldn’t have been Fairfax without kind of going at the king first,” Riley said of Supreme.
He, Hausfater and Buchsbaum, all born and raised in L.A., are fans of the brand.
“The first page of [the script] says, ‘dedicated to all the moms waiting in line with their kids at Supreme,’” Riley went on. “We really do have so much reverence for these streetwear brands that are truly so cool.”
Courtesy of Amazon
In thinking about their own childhoods growing up in the ’90s, they found parallels with the kids of today. There were the universal issues and emotions impacting young teens, but they could also relate to the feeling of being blissfully consumed by product — though the items they yearned for were a little different.
“Every bit of allowance money I had as a kid was always focused on Pogs,” Buchsbaum said of the milk caps game.
“Baseball cards,” chimed in Riley. “Also, Beanie Babies were an insane fad that we somehow convinced our parents to spend so much money on.”
“And still believe in the value of,” added Buchsbaum.
“For my family, it was hockey cards,” Hausfater said.
When it came to fashion, Triple Five Soul, LRG and Bape were among the standout brands in junior high then.
“When I was around like 13 years old, I spent all of my bar mitzvah money on a velour Sean John tracksuit, and I was the coolest person on the planet,” Buchsbaum said. “Mind you, when I was 13, I was the smallest kid in my grade. And they only had an XL.”
They took their childhood experiences, and with the help of the writing team (and Gen Z family members), tapped into the mind-set and influences of today’s middle schoolers to create “Fairfax” — while finding influence from the animated shows that dominated the ’90s: “Doug,” “Recess,” “The Wild Thornberrys,” “Rocket Power,” “Pinky and the Brain,” “South Park” and “The Simpsons.”
While streetwear is at the center of “Fairfax” — with a focus on the clothing, used as a tool to define each character (like newbie Dale, for instance, who sports “normcore”) — there’s also a whole universe beyond fashion to bring to life.
“We had to start with hypebeast culture and then from there, we realized there’s a bigger world here,” Riley said.
“There’s this all-encompassing umbrella of influencer culture, healthy food stuff like Erewhon and Whole Foods,” added Hausfater. “You know, there are influencers for everything.”
They continue to explore that world in season two, expected to be released in 2022, though there’s no set drop date yet.
“We have finished writing it and making it so we’re ready and excited to share it whenever,” Riley said. “Whenever Amazon is ready to drop it.”
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