Connecting the Community

High School Junior Colton Etheridge Aims to Connect Community Members Through the Recently Launched Pali Life Brand

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

One Palisadian is using his recently launched brand to help bring the community closer together—no matter where they are currently residing.

After launching in October 2024, Pali Life founder Colton Etheridge lost his home and inventory in the Palisades fire—but has since been focused on rebuilding the brand, as well as using it to give back through a fire relief initiative.

“Since the fire—I mean, we lost everything,” Etheridge, who lived on Galloway Street, described. “All of our inventory was gone.”

Etheridge said he originally launched the brand, which he began thinking about in summer 2024, to “bring everyone in the Palisades closer together”—a meaning that became even deeper following the Palisades fire.

“The whole reason I started it was because I used to play baseball with a ton of kids in the Palisades,” Etheridge explained. “Once we all grew out of the league, I didn’t really see any of them anymore.”

Then, the Geffen Academy junior said he had seen some of the friends he used to play baseball with last summer, recalling thinking to himself how nice it was to see them and wanting to have something that would reconnect them.

He originally started Pali Life with hats and thermals and hoodies, as well as a couple of pairs of jeans. When the full inventory is available, he now offers a line of men’s and women’s wear, as well as accessories, like socks and hats, with the red and white Pali Life logo. There is an assortment of vintage items available as well.

“The Pali Life has been bringing exceptional style to shoppers far and wide since our founding, and we don’t intend on stopping anytime soon,” read the brand’s website. “Our vision is fast-paced, forward-thinking and fashion-centered at its core, and all of our products reflect these ideals.”

When it comes to women’s wear, Pali Life has a Tower 15 Hoodie, as well as a half-zip jacket. Under men’s wear, there are items like a Wool Plaid Shirt, Waffle Long-Sleeve T, Indigo Jeans and the Fleece Hoodie.

Socks are available in white, black with white accents and white with black accents. There is a Pali Life sticker with the signature logo.

There is an option on the website to join Pali Life’s mailing list, which has the most up to date information about the brand. Community members are also invited to follow along on Instagram, where Etheridge will post where and when he will be popping up in the future.

After losing his inventory in the Palisades fire, Etheridge was introduced by a close friend to someone who “donated a ton of hats.” He also went downtown to make new connections with sellers in the area.

“So far we’ve only had enough time to get hats and hoodies, and we’ve also done some socks as well,” Etheridge said. “So kind of just staying with simple, easily appealing stuff.”

Prior to the fire, Etheridge was present at several events within the community, including Pacific Palisades Farmers Market and Palisades Charter High School’s inaugural Flea Market on October 20, 2024, the event where the brand was originally launched. He also did a pop-up in the Village area across from Cafe Vida in early December 2024.

Now, he operates a booth some weeks at the Brentwood Farmers Market, where he has been able to connect with community members.

“Seeing our friends and neighbors, sharing trials and smiles, is why we are here,” he wrote on March 16 following a market day. “Thank you for coming out to the Brentwood Farmers Market.”

Through Pali Life, Etheridge is raising money for One Voice: a fire relief fund that is dedicated to helping “service workers after the fires” by providing “rent, food and essentials.”

“We know that all of the people that helped make our community as beautiful and as friendly as it was by contributing their working hours to work in our neighborhood are also suffering a loss of income,” Etheridge wrote on the fundraising site. “ … We are grateful to have benefited from the beautiful community of the Palisades and the people who spent their days there. Thank you, One Voice LA, for recognizing this need.”

To date, the brand has raised more than $5,000 for One Voice.

When it comes to the future of Pali Life, Etheridge said he “really just [wants] to bring everyone from the Palisades closer together.”

“I know a lot of people have been dispersed across LA,” Etheridge said, “and I think it’s really powerful to have a brand that will bring everyone in Los Angeles closer.”

For more information, visit thepalilife.com or instagram.com/palilife.