California car culture and Newport Beach go hand-in-hand. On any given day, you can see exotic cars — both domestic and foreign — racing on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) or cruising the downtown streets. The core place of automotive culture in Newport Beach’s overall vibe has now inspired Cali creative Bear D’egidio to launch Santo Studio, a brand-slash-automotive-community that consists of both race-inspired apparel drops and community-focused, Gumball 3000-inspired rallies that champion the power of in-person connection and IRL experiences.
“Cars and fashion have always been synonymous,” D’egidio says. “What you drive and what you wear both inspire your outlook on fashion and culture — and are both driven by the same aspirations of having a personal style. Whether it’s a Scion or Shelby GT500, the feeling of driving something you have and wearing something you love gives real emotion and memory to your everyday moments.”
For Santo Studio’s inaugural “Racing Division” event, D’egidio broke out two rare 1967 Shelby GT500 Mustangs, and tapped skateboarder Ryan Sheckler, motocross legend Jeremy “Twitch” Steinberg, model JOCELYN and famed professional fighter couple Callum Walsh and Tabatha Ricci for a grand prix-style cruise that started at the Santo Studio headquarters, made its way to jewelry brand JAXXON’s flagship store, hit the PCH and ended at Javier’s, a restaurant in Newport Beach.
“My aspirations of inspiring someone the same way DUB Magazine did for me growing up, have always been trying to provide people with a North Star of style, while still making them feel fulfilled with what they currently have,” said D’egidio of the event and the brand’s most recent apparel launch, centered around leather jackets. “The vision is never needing more, but growing & receiving more.”
Stay tuned for more info on Santo Studio’s next race (it’ll be open to the public) and forthcoming apparel drops.
