IN 2020, DURING THE LOCKDOWN DAYS IN NYC, LIGHT SOURCE GHOST LAB WAS BORN. AT THAT TIME, DALLAS WAS INTRODUCED TO BLENDER, A 3D MODELING PROGRAM, BY HIS FRIEND ANTHONY, A FELLOW MEMBER OF THE BRAND FROM THEIR HOMETOWN OF DENVER. DALLAS BEGAN CREATING DIGITAL RENDERINGS OF HOMES, INTERIORS, STAGES, PRODUCTS, AND JEWELRY, ALL LABELED UNDER THE BRAND NAME, LIGHT SOURCE. AFTER DALLAS SHARED SOME OF HIS WORK ONLINE, ANOTHER HOMETOWN FRIEND, ALEX, SHOWED INTEREST IN ONE OF HIS JEWELRY DESIGNS—A CHAIN—AND ASKED DALLAS IF HE COULD BRING IT TO LIFE. DALLAS ENTHUSIASTICALLY AGREED, AND ALEX MELTED DOWN A BAR OF SILVER HE OWNED TO CREATE THE BLOCK CHAIN, THE FIRST JEWELRY PIECE FOR LIGHT SOURCE.
SEEING THE HIGH COST OF LOCAL PRODUCTION FOR THE CHAIN, ANTHONY STEPPED IN TO FIND AN OVERSEAS MANUFACTURER, WHICH HELPED ESTABLISH THE JEWELRY SIDE OF THE BRAND AS IT IS TODAY. THIS MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THEIR FOCUS ON MAINTAINING HIGH QUALITY AT ACCESSIBLE PRICE POINTS. FOR EXAMPLE, THEIR "UV RING" FEATURES COATED ENAMEL OVER A BRASS BASE, CHOSEN SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE IT DOESN’T COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE SKIN. IN CONTRAST, THE "SOFT LOGO CHAIN" IS MADE ENTIRELY OF 925 SILVER, ENSURING BOTH AFFORDABILITY AND SKIN-SAFE QUALITY. THIS APPROACH REFLECTS THEIR COMMITMENT TO THOUGHTFUL, INCLUSIVE DESIGN. THEY BELIEVE IN CREATING PIECES THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE AND CAREFULLY CRAFTED, REJECTING THE IDEA OF MAKING ITEMS THAT ONLY THE WEALTHY CAN AFFORD.
LATER ON, ANTHONY ALSO BEGAN NAMING SOME OF HIS OWN CREATIONS UNDER GHOST LAB AND REFINING A LOGO HE HAD BEEN DEVELOPING OVER THE YEARS. DALLAS PROPOSED MERGING THE TWO CONCEPTS, LEADING TO THE UNIFIED BRAND NAME, LIGHT SOURCE GHOST LAB, COMPLETE WITH THE LOGO ANTHONY HAD CREATED.
IT’S NATURAL FOR THE THREE OF THEM TO WORK SEAMLESSLY TOGETHER TO CREATE AND RUN THIS BRAND, THANKS TO THEIR SHARED INFLUENCES. DALLAS AND ANTHONY, WHO HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER THE LONGEST, HAVE ALWAYS DRAWN FROM A DIVERSE RANGE OF INSPIRATIONS — FROM CLOTHING DESIGNERS LIKE SK8THING, VIRGIL ABLOH, YE, & ERROLSON HUGH TO ARCHITECT GIANTS LIKE TADAO ANDO, SANAA, AND JOHN PAWSON. WHEN IT COMES TO JEWELRY DESIGN, THEIR PRIMARY INSPIRATIONS ARE VIRGIL ABLOH AND VICTOIRE DE CASTELLANE.
WHILE LSGL CURRENTLY FOCUSES ON JEWELRY, THE BRAND HAS ALSO SOLD FURNITURE DESIGNED BY DALLAS IN THE PAST. MAINTAINING CREATIVE FREEDOM IS KEY TO THE BRAND’S ETHOS; HOWEVER, DUE TO THE HIGH COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH FURNITURE PRODUCTION, THEY DECIDED TO FOCUS ON JEWELRY FOR THE TIME BEING. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, THEY ENVISION EXPANDING TO INCLUDE FURNITURE AGAIN, WHILE ALSO PRESENTING CUT-AND-SEWN CLOTHING ITEMS. THEIR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO DESIGN NOT ONLY PRODUCTS BUT ALSO INTERIORS, INSTALLATIONS, AND EVEN BUILDINGS. THIS IS WHY THEY CONSIDER THEMSELVES A MULTIDISCIPLINARY BRAND—ALLOWING THEM THE FREEDOM TO INTRODUCE NEW CREATIONS TO THEIR LINEUP WITHOUT SURPRISE.