On a candlelit Wednesday evening in Chinatown, the 2026 Image Makers came around an open-air table to celebrate each other. It was the drippiest and most indulgent of reunions — runway-inspired looks and steak au poivre under multicolored lanterns on Chung King Road. L.A. Times Image audience marketing specialist Ashley SP, who planned the event, tells us what it was like from her perspective.
The Image person is cool without trying to be cool. The Image person is themself: somebody who shows up with openness, creativity, authenticity and an eagerness to invite that out of other people. There were music artists there, photographers, creative directors, stylists, people in the art world, writers. Everybody brought out the same spark in each other that a magazine like Image makes space for celebrating. There was such a chameleonic quality to the whole table, including the Image Makers we highlighted. You couldn’t name them as simply one thing. They are the maximum of so many different things.
I hoped that such an intimate setting would help people feel comfortable getting to know each other, and it was amazing to see guests lean in. We talk a lot about “the Image family,” and that phrase is used so liberally to describe people gathering together, but that night it truly felt like friends as family. Even people who didn’t know each other were connecting over somethingcelebratory and communal, or over a project they’d been meaning to take out of the DMs and into real life.
I love to let the people, the moment and the feeling speak for itself, so what mattered most was letting everybody shine in their element while getting out of the way. That started with chef George Archbold, who was the creative force behind the night and menu. We were drawn to his energy, his inventiveness and his calm-cool that’s vital to wrangling so many different parts, people and palettes. Fresh off the plane from Munich after celebrating his 30th birthday, George delivered. We enjoyed his menu of date and cabbage salad, salmon crudo, green tahini prawns, steak au poivre and baklava à la mode. The cabbage disappeared quickly.
It was held at Good Arthur, a flexible event space in Chinatown that transformed with us. I was really drawn to Chung King Road because it seems to embody a certain moment in time. It’s like walking into a postcard, yet unlike any other part of L.A. that I’ve experienced. We went through idea after idea before landing on the one that felt right: 38 people sitting on a carpet in the street, unwinding and enjoying each other. Sahar Habibi made our playlist, the perfect backdrop for a dreamy evening with her signature smooth sounds. Wonderwerk generously provided the wine. The videography of Joey Barba, Joey Bueno Breese and Quincy Bowie Jr. was projected on the walls among delicate florals and copious pours, so every guest could raise a glass to their work (and themselves) as an integral part of the night.
There was a lot of energy outside: the heat of an L.A. night, being elbow to elbow with a neighbor or friend, the glow of people enjoying themselves all around you. Guests lingered, sharing cigarettes and stealing a last swig of wine as the carpet rolled up. It was a little bit sexy.
The night’s fashion goes back to that chameleon state: with an open-ended dress code, you never quite know what you’re gonna get, but it’s gonna be a look. RonBen took my breath away in an Alexander McQueen runway-inspired pigeon headpiece and Martine Rose heels. Shelley Holcomb arrived in a hot look from Jocelyn Corona, the same stylist behind her feature in the issue, which was shot partially on Chung King Road. I wish I got a photo of Goth Shakira, who was magnetic in strong silver earrings and had total empress energy. The Kiko Kostadinov L.A. crew looked stunning, helmed by queen Jenny Lê. RiRia understood the assignment, too, wearing a two-piece croc-embossed white skirt suit, with her gifted Nikes turned into a neck piece. Incredible.
Nike L.A. has been such a supporter of Image for some time now, but this was the first time that we did a formal merch collab with them. The concept of a uniform came up in conversation: “What is the L.A. uniform?” Luckily, Nike was amenable to dripping everybody out in navy blue sweat suits, with a spin on the L.A. Times logo on the front and our Image logo on the back: a nod to legacy and an ode to the city all at once. It’s a cool keepsake for folks who were part of the issue, a reminder of the evening every time they slip it on.
I can’t tell you how many people said to me at the end of the night, “I needed this,” whether “this” meant a chance to slow down or a chance to be celebrated. That’s why it mattered so much to bring the dinner back to the people in this issue: Being recognized, and having your voice heard, is worthwhile. It was a reminder that gathering is sacred, and this moment was worth sitting down to celebrate and name.
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