Tommy Bogo is wrapping up some design work in his Los Angeles office while preparing for a long trip to Japan to meet with power players in the international fashion world. Despite a hectic schedule, the 29-year-old designer is excited to spend some time on Zoom with a magazine from his East Bay hometown, as Bogo takes pride in the region that informs his sense of style and his practical, functional clothing.

“The East Bay has a very DIY mentality,” says Bogo. “There is an effortless style that Bay Area people have. It’s about wearing what makes you feel comfortable and proud to wear.”

Bogo grew up in Oakland and got his start screen-printing T-shirts and selling them out of his locker at Oakland Technical High School. He says he was greatly influenced by his parents, who are both fine artists. His mother is Carrie Lederer, the former longtime curator of Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts. “I spent my entire life [at Bedford Gallery],” says Bogo. “When I was just 3 or 4, I was the kid playing with toy trains on the gallery floor as exhibitions were being installed.”

Bogo says that his parents’ hands-on approach to art installations rubbed off on his own sensibilities. “I must have noticed how hard they worked and how important it is to control a creative vision,” he says. “Even though we work with big production companies at Paris Fashion Week or Fashion Week in New York, I still need to be hands-on with the little details, whether it is lighting or music cues.”

Bogo launched his workwear-inspired brand, Tombogo, just before COVID-19 shut down businesses all over the world. The pandemic seems to have had an opposite effect on Bogo’s creative output.

“The pandemic pushed me into this space where there was nothing going on, and I realized it was time to go full-fledged and really take the leap,” he says. “I got the opportunity to show at New York Fashion Week digitally. Things really took off from there.”

Shoe company Saucony sought Bogo out for a special release of sneakers, and his multipocketed, double-knee pants caught the attention of rappers Bad Bunny and Kid Cudi and comedian Dave Chappelle. One of his most passionate supporters was the late Euphoria actor Angus Cloud, who Bogo knew from Oakland.

“Representatives from some major brands tell me that Angus always sang my praises,” says Bogo. “It was always about our genuine connection as close friends and his support for my work.”

Bogo recently unveiled his logo—a plus sign that appears as the Tombogo badge, as well as on buttons, belts, and other design elements. It’s a bold brand, one that is clearly reaching a larger audience than the students who used to hang out around a high school locker in Oakland. tombogo.com.