Light vs Dark: A Father and Son Building Something Bigger Than Streetwear

Words and photos by Mattea McKinnon 

It started with a conversation over takeaway in Byron Bay.

Leo and his dad Nick were talking about the darker moments they had each been navigating - school, pressure and finding your place on one side, injuries, divorce and rebuilding a life on the other. They began talking about the importance of not getting stuck in those thoughts, and of making the conscious decision to keep moving towards something lighter.

“Dark to light,” they both said in their own way.

That simple idea became Light vs Dark (LvsD) - a father-and-son streetwear brand built around something much bigger than clothing. At its heart is the idea that everyone has an internal battle between light and dark, and that choosing how you respond to it can shape the person you become.

For Nick, the brand also represents a return to something he once walked away from. After an earlier clothing venture ended painfully, he left the rag trade behind. Years later, it was Leo who encouraged him to take another shot.

Now the pair are building LvsD together from Byron Bay, drawing on family, faith, resilience and their own experiences of setbacks and starting again. With a commitment to donating 5% to homeless youth, they are also trying to create something that extends beyond the people who wear it.

Because for LvsD, the clothes are only part of the story. The bigger idea is about standing beside the person next to you, choosing to keep moving forward and finding your way back towards the light.

Born from an honest conversation in Byron Bay, LvsD is a father-and-son streetwear brand turning personal struggles into a powerful message of resilience, community and choosing the light.

What inspired the “Light vs Dark” concept, and how does it show up in your designs and brand storytelling?

The idea came from a conversation Leo and I had sitting at a takeaway in Byron Bay. We were talking about some of the challenges we were both facing - Leo with school, dealing with haters and finding his way, and me dealing with injuries, rebuilding after divorce and navigating some difficult chapters of my own.

We started talking about how easy it is to get caught in dark thoughts, and how important it is to recognise them without allowing them to take over. The goal is to keep moving towards lighter, healthier and happier thought patterns.

At one point we both arrived at the same idea in our own way: dark to light.

From there, during a brainstorm about what we could build together, it became Light vs Dark - the battle with the darkness within.

For us, that battle is something everyone understands. A lot of the time, we are our own biggest obstacle through self-doubt, fear and self-sabotage. LvsD was born from the idea that you can acknowledge the darkness without letting it define you. You keep moving towards the light.

Byron Bay has a strong creative and conscious culture. How has that environment shaped your brand identity and direction?

We both see ourselves as artists, and Byron has definitely influenced that. It has a strong creative culture and a sense of individuality that has shaped how we think about identity and community.

For me, Byron goes much deeper than that. I grew up in and around Byron, working at the Beach Hotel when Strop and Delvine owned it. It was a simpler time, with a real coastal-town feel.

I had an earlier clothing brand and sponsored the old local footy team. It was gaining momentum and eventually caught the attention of a larger local brand. Some underhanded business moves, including pulling our screen printer just as we were about to sign a significant deal with Brothers Nelson stores, ultimately crushed that opportunity.

That experience left some deep scars, and eventually I walked away from the rag trade and Byron for a period of time.

Looking back, those experiences have become part of what LvsD represents. Sometimes you have to move through things that weren't your fault, learn from them, and still choose to move towards the light.

Can you walk us through your reason for choosing to donate 5% to homeless youth?

We see young people as our future.

I'm 17, and I have a dad who not only encourages my dreams but works alongside me to pursue them. I know how important it is to have a solid foundation to stand on.

If more young people had that sense of safety, stability and someone in their corner, I believe the world would be a better place.

Our philosophy is simple: try to be 1% better every day. Build a moral code around doing the right thing, even when it's difficult.

From a dad's perspective, I'm incredibly thankful that Leo's mum and I, despite being separated, have always been on the same page when it comes to his upbringing.

For young people experiencing homelessness, that foundation can be missing. They need to feel safe enough to put down roots, develop confidence and eventually pursue whatever their goals might be.

That's why giving 5% to homeless youth matters to us. It's about helping provide some of that foundation.

Who is your core customer, and how do you design pieces that genuinely resonate with their lifestyle and mindset?

We don't really think of them as customers. We think of them as a community.

Our core community is roughly 18–45, made up of people who want to do better every day. Yes, LvsD is streetwear, but the clothing is really a vehicle for something bigger.

It's about building ourselves up so we can contribute more to the people around us. You can only do so much on your own, which is why having a balanced, honest and supportive community is so important.

Everything we build starts from our faith and works upwards from there.

In a crowded streetwear market, what do you think truly differentiates your brand from others?

We're not really selling clothes. We're selling an ideal.

Wearing LvsD is an outward declaration that you want more for yourself and your community. That you're prepared to keep striving when you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. That you value honour and doing the right thing rather than simply doing what is easiest or most expedient.

Our family history also plays into that. Our heritage goes back to a Spartan settlement in Santorini called Valas. The Spartan shield was designed with the brother standing beside you in mind — it represented protecting the person next to you.

That idea of standing beside each other is central to LvsD.

Of course, we love cars, bikes, surfing and all the fun stuff that you see through our content. But underneath all of that is the message: do better, stand for something and don't be swayed by every passing opinion.

Our foundation is faith, family and generational grit. There aren't many father-and-son brands built around trying to carry a message like that forward.

What have been the biggest challenges so far?

The biggest challenges haven't really been about building the product.

They've been about moving through the years, for both Leo and me, and still choosing to push towards the light.

It's about being truthful but gentle in how we deliver that truth. Knowing when to be still and when it's time to move.

The ongoing challenge is maintaining our identity and making sure people understand who we actually are.

There is a lot of noise out there, and it's easy for a brand to become something it wasn't originally meant to be. We want to stay true to the reason LvsD exists and let that identity speak for itself.

Looking ahead, how do you want people to feel when they wear your clothing — and what kind of community are you trying to build around it?

We want people to feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves.

We want the clothing to become a reminder - something you put on at the beginning of the day that reminds you to get yourself right before you step into the world.

Don't get rattled by nonsense. Don't be swayed by the wind of other people's opinions. Stand your ground, and be willing to step out of line when you know you need to.

Our clothing isn't just the cloth it's cut from.

It's the fabric of our community.

What's it like building this brand together as father and son, and how do your different perspectives shape the vision?

After what happened with my previous brand, I wasn't planning on doing another one.

But our kids have a funny way of inspiring us to take another shot.

Leo inspired me to do exactly that.

From a father's perspective, it's been incredible watching Leo grow into the young man he is now. There's a point where you have to give your kids room to grow, respond to them as adults and let them find their own way, while still being there to guide them when they need it.

Leo: Working on LvsD with my dad is a lot of fun. We have deep conversations, bounce ideas around and work through the trials together.

The biggest challenge is finding the time. Dad is a builder, he's renovating the house after the February 2022 floods, and he's also working through injuries.

But ultimately, our biggest challenge as a team is exposure. We know we have a story worth telling. Now we need to get that story in front of people and build the community around it.