Welcome to the world of Lords of Gastown Motorcycle Co., where function meets fashion. The company was established in 2011 by founder and Creative Director Tyler Hazelwood. Lords of Gastown was born out of the motorcycle culture that thrives in the Pacific Northwest. Tyler shares his journey and passion for motorcycles, his inspiration behind the name, aesthetic of Lords of Gastown, and his vision for the brand’s future. Tyler also discusses the West Coast culture, his favorite places to ride and lessons learned from a motorcycle accident. Get ready to dive into the world of motorcycles, fashion, and adventure with Tyler Hazelwood from Lords of Gastown!
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: How did your love for motorcycles start?
Tyler Hazelwood: I had suffered with Crohn’s disease since my early twenties, so 21. Motorcycling was a big part of the driving factor for me to get healthy and get out on the road. That’s something that I would visualize when I was stuck in bed sick, was the freedom of being on the road with a motorcycle.
Caption: Tyler Hazelwood in the early years (Photo: Owned by Tyler Hazelwood)
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: What inspired the name and overall aesthetic of Lords of Gastown?
Tyler Hazelwood: We just created clothes that we wanted to buy from Harley-Davidson that just weren’t there. And same with the bikes — it was at the time when everybody was taking everything that was chrome off of it and everything was black. And of course the influence at the time, I hesitate to say it, but Sons [of Anarchy] because it became such a cliche. Sons of Anarchy was right in its heyday at that time. It’s when the club style became commercial. We just created a brand and clothing and aesthetic that we weren’t able to go and buy off the rack from Harley-Davidson.
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: I want to know, where do you see the brand in the next five years? How are you keeping up with the trends? What are certain things you’re doing differently to keep your brand on top and keep it unique and keep it in its niche?
Tyler Hazelwood: We’re launching a beer and we’re going to be launching a pre-roll cannabis collection along with a high end cigar. Expanding the market in different ways, but also partnering with factories that can basically produce better garments than we were able to do locally in our little cut and sew shop at a better margin.
Caption: Tyler rider in the Pacific Northwest (Photo: Owned by Tyler Hazelwood)
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: What differences do you see with the West Coast culture, aesthetic and riding from other parts of the world?
Tyler Hazelwood: The West Coast, California really sets the tone for Harley-Davidson focused motorcycling, I would say and for the rest of North America. So that was really the success of Lords as well in the Canadian market because we were so obsessed with the California vibe.
When we first went down to Mexico, there were not a lot of Harley’s, definitely no Dynas or Road Glides, mostly Sportsers. I just noticed last year, I would say it grew by 200%, the amount of Harley’s. And there’s a whole Dyna club style scene down there and seems to be that trend is just catching on there. A friend of mine — he lived in Japan for 20 years and he was saying the same thing, that kind of aesthetic is really just catching on in Japan as well. So, that’s why we want to kind of focus on those markets for expansion and also to be able to spend more time in those countries, obviously.
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Where are some of your favorite places to ride?
Tyler Hazelwood: I love the West Coast and Southern America.
Caption: Tyler stunting with his friend (Photo: Owned by Tyler Hazelwood)
Caption: A Lords patch being repped on Tyler’s ride (Photo: Owned by Tyler Hazelwood)
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Have you ever been in a motorcycle accident? And if so, what did you learn and take away from it?
Tyler Hazelwood: Yeah, the worst one I’ve been in was definitely coming back from Alaska. It was just a whole weird series of events that happened.
[What I learned was,] wear your gear, stay in your lane position, focus on the riders in front of you. Ride to your experience, all those things.
Caption: Tyler riding in the mountains (Photo: Owned by Tyler Hazelwood)
Tyler Hazelwood’s vision and passion for motorcycles is driving the brand forward and the future looks bright for Lords of Gastown Motorcycle Co. as they continue to make their mark in the motorcycle industry. If you are interested in buying some new riding accessories, be sure to visit their website and follow them on Instagram to see the selection. Ride safe, and thanks for reading!
Please note: Just like drunk driving, driving under the influence of drugs is a crime – even if your impairment is due to prescribed medications, illicit drugs, over-the-counter medications, or marijuana – medical or recreational. The legal and monetary consequences are the same, both with your time and money. For more information about the effects of driving under the influence, please check out the California Office of Traffic Safety website: https://www.ots.ca.gov/media-and-research/campaigns/drugged-driving/
