ABOUT
Laven Gray is more than a name. It’s a tribute, a deep bow of gratitude to the two people who opened the doors to my creativity—my grandparents.
One, an art teacher in the LA Unified School District, showed me that expression is limitless. That a blank page is never empty—it’s an invitation. The other, a mortician, but more than that, a man of family, of purpose. Someone who led with action, who set the bar high, who made sure those he loved knew what it meant to strive, to create, to build something lasting.
Every summer, we’d leave Los Angeles behind, bound for Vancouver in the Green Machine—our green-and-white camper van, a vessel of discovery. My grandmother made sure I always had pen and paper in hand, sketching as the miles blurred past. When I wasn’t drawing, she put a camera in my hands, teaching me to see, to capture, to document the world as I experienced it. Meanwhile, my grandfather drove, steady, determined—miles and miles of highway, years and years of lessons absorb
in motion.
Those summers became the foundation of everything. Creativity wasn’t just something I did, it was something I lived. When I grew older, I turned to them—not just for validation, but for the sense of discipline my grandfather instilled, the belief my grandmother nurtured. That foundation carried me through designing for some of the biggest apparel brands in the world, launching my own brands, creating a magazine rooted in skate, surf, and cycling culture, crafting content for brands, and ultimately shaping a career as a high-level creative in product design. Laven Gray is my thank you. A tribute to the people who made me who I am. To the road trips, the sketches, the photographs, the lessons. To creativity, discipline, and love—the things that last.
