LAB RATS started as a question: what happens when you put a room full of young Portland creatives in the same lab? It grew out of 1800 Laboratories into a collective — designers, DJs, photographers, and clothing brands — and an event series built to show the work in person.

Event #001 took over Lab-Rats Headquarters at 1991 NW Upshur St on June 20th, 2025: music, drinks, and clothes from thirteen local brands and artists, with garments printed live on the floor. Every member got a fingerprint, a mugshot, and an ID card.

The identity runs on contrast — a flourished calligraphy script against a distressed typewriter face, a rat-in-a-ring icon that spins on a VHS screen, and a thorned rat wreath for the apparel. Red, black, and caution yellow, like a lab that never got its safety inspection.