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Fashion Network
16 hours ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Los Angeles: the 13 multi-brand stores that set the standard
From the institutions of Maxfield and Dover Street Market to the creative concepts of Departamento and Mohawk General Store, Los Angeles boasts a unique selection of multi-brand stores offering a curated universe that reflects a real lifestyle. While a few cult addresses have had to close their doors in recent months, such as Terminal 27 and Fred Segal, these 13 stores have weathered the crisis and online shopping fever. takes a look at their history and current situation. Mohawk General Store, fully renovated This concept store beloved of East Side Angelenos was founded in 2008 by Kevin and Bo Carney. Located in Silver Lake, just off Junction Sunset, their concept store, which has been mixing selective fashion, music and 1950s furniture since its origins, features a first store dedicated to men, next to another dedicated to women. Completely renovated last May, the men's store has revamped its facade, now painted black, reunited its two former spaces and reimagined a décor designed by Klein Agency, a maker of collectibles, furnishings and spaces in Los Angeles, who also runs a store at the Signal Shops shopping center in the Arts District. "The project was definitely about introducing the minimal architectural moves that allowed us to almost double the previous size of the store as well as peel off old building layers and expose the bones of the building that the store sits in," explained Masa Loncaric Kleinhample, co-founder of Klein Agency. 'We layered it with honey toned wall veneer, solid aluminium and poured in place concrete. All of it to create multiple different moments in the store that Kevin Carney is able to brand and expose his collections in variety of different vignettes.' In the first space, a large semi-circular wooden bench surrounds a selection of ready-to-wear items, including the in-house Smock brand, shoes, jewelry accessories, eyewear and small leather goods. The second space is organized around a large central lounge equipped with a vintage hi-fi and turntable, and high consoles and display cases showcasing another selection of accessories. A long wall-mounted rack displays clothes by Lemaire, Jacquemus, Undercover, Homme Plissé, Dries Van Noten and Stüssy. The retro 1950s ambience is echoed in the women's boutique, where vintage furniture, chests of drawers, shelves, tables and bookcases display accessories, perfumes, home décor and ready-to-wear. The house mixes international references such as Dries Van Noten, Our Legacy, Ganni, Gil Rodriguez, Rachel Comey, Baserange and Auralee. Dover Street Market Los Angeles, the avant-garde of fashion Another Los Angeles institution, the Arts District's Dover Street Market opened for the first time in Los Angeles in late 2018, five years after the New York concept store opening. Deliberately located in an unfrequented part of the district, and on a single level, Dover Street Market Los Angeles set up shop at 608 Imperial Street in a former meat warehouse, with no windows visible from the outside. Today, Dover Street Market Los Angeles presents its favorite brands, including a large presence of luxury labels such as Prada, Jil Sander, Balenciaga, Miu Miu and Phoebe Philo, grouped in two spaces dedicated to men and women. The boutique is also home to 'Creative Spaces', brand spaces in the form of artistic installations, dedicated to Comme des Garçons collections and a temporary selection of designers, including Kiko Kostadinov, Wales Bonner, Sacaï, Doublet, Palace, and Maison Margiela. Collaborations are regularly showcased in various installations, such as the black aquarium currently encapsulating the Nike X Dover Street Market collection. There's also an area dedicated to jewelry, a Rose Bakery café with a terrace where visitors can enjoy a cake or a Chaï Latte, and an area dedicated to sneakers. Dover Street Market now has seven stores worldwide, in London, Tokyo, New York, Singapore, Beijing, Paris and Los Angeles. A store dedicated to beauty, Dover Street Parfums Market has also opened in Paris in 2019. Maxfield Los Angeles, a fashion icon in West Hollywood More than just a store, Maxfield has established itself as a fashion icon in Los Angeles. Founded by Tommy Perse in 1969 - initially under the name Maxfield Bleu - the multi-brand store, which quickly made a name for itself by dressing artists and musicians, set up shop in West Hollywood next door to The Troubadour club, unveiling stunning window displays with coffins and hanging mannequins, capturing the attention of customers. Maxfield was also the first to introduce European and Japanese brands such as Armani, Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto in the mid-70s. In 1985, Maxfield finally moved to 8825 Melrose Avenue in an all-concrete warehouse and unveiled its collections in an industrial art gallery atmosphere, adorned with three giant sculptures, replicas of the Mohai statues on Easter Island. Inside, the store's brutalist style has since showcased fashion collections from around a hundred houses, ranging from luxury brands such as Givenchy, Jil Sander, Rick Owens and Maison Margiela to Californian brands including Fear of God, and numerous jewelry, fragrance and accessory brands. Exclusive collaborations, including the latest between Adidas and American designer Willy Chavarria, are regularly presented. A special feature of Maxfield is the Jean Prouvé Nomad House at the entrance to the store. This building, imported directly from France, has since been used as a pop-up gallery, showcasing designers such as Maison Margiela, Amiri and Valentino, or for exceptional sales. The company has also opened Maxfield Bleu, a temporary space dedicated to sales of archival pieces or brand events, such as Nahmias, which presented its collaboration with artist Andrés Reisinger in 2024. A second Maxfield address is also located in the Malibu Country Mart shopping center in Malibu. Opened in 2009, this second space resides in a repurposed weathered-wood barn and focuses on beach essentials such as cashmere, sweatshirts, sneakers, swimwear alongside select ready-to-wear for men and women, footwear, bags and home objects. Departamento, the speakeasy fashion concept Founded in 2017 by Andrew Dryden and Joseph Quinones, multi-brand store Departamento began in Los Angeles as a private styling service for creatives circles and transitioned into a physical store in 2018. A reference point for all Los Angeles stylists and fashion collectors, they find here a selection of luxury labels with Loewe, Lemaire and Marni as regular brands and new emerging brands such as Enfants Riches Déprimés, Wales Bonner, Phipps and Edward Cuming. Housed in the backroom of the Maru coffee shop in the Arts District, their first store followed the idea of the speakeasy. Designed by Dryden, the space, now converted into an archive and entitled 'DPTO:annex', jutaxposed raw wood and steel piping with David Lynchian mirrored sections and plush 1950s motifs. In 2024, Departamento moved to the Signal Shops complex on Traction Avenue in the Arts District. Dryden and Quinones continued the speakeasy concept, this time moving into the back of the Concierge coffee shop. A mirrored corridor opens onto the new, larger Departamento concept, whose design was entirely steered by the 22RE agency and its founder Dean Devin. Influenced by deconstructivism, 22RE founder Dean Levin created a 4,000-square-foot space featured by a grid layout - reminiscent of a library or supermarket - that has been divided into distinct zones. 'As customers explore each corner of the store, they get a glimpse of the different vignettes and collections through strategically placed mirrors, adding an element of voyeuristic intrigue to their journey,' said Levin. 'The design encourages a moment of discovery.' The mix of metal, black wood, stainless steel and leather on the displays creates a futuristic, disconnected look. In addition to the usual brand collections, Departamento presents a space reminiscent of ryokan architecture, with collections by designer Taiga Takahashi. Another adjacent space is dedicated to fragrances and accessories. Bodega, streetwear best-kept secret Destination The Row, the Arts District shopping center, food market and former warehouse of the American Apparel brand, invested since 2017 by boutiques and restaurants. Founded in 2006, multi-brand store La Bodega is the brainchild of three Boston-based associates, Dan Natola, Oliver Mak and Jay Gordon. Together, they set up a speakeasy-like fashion gallery in Boston, closed in 2024, tucked behind a bodega façade, and combined fashion, art and sneakers. Twelve years later, the trio duplicated their idea in Los Angeles, taking over an 8,000-square-foot warehouse. Visitors step through the Exit door, past plastic sheeting and melon crates, and immerse themselves in a street market atmosphere with, on the first floor, a replica of a New York deli selling everything from hair curlers to Mac' n' Cheese and tomato cans. There's also a shop-in-shop area dedicated to brands - Vans has been there and Kapital is currently occupying the space - and even a piece of skatepark parquet. The first floor also features two wall sections dedicated to sneakers, with brands such as Salomon, Nike, Loci, Puma and On. A long staircase leads up to a chill mid-level lounge for books and community, which today houses the collections of Indonesian label Devastates and Canadian brand Estudio Niksen, two up-and-coming labels. An upper floor, regularly dedicated to fashion collections and accessories, is now being remodeled. The house previously presented a selection of brands ranging from Carhartt WIP to Lemaire, Stone Island, Homme Plissé, Maison Margiela and Helmut Lang, gathered around a lounge and ping-pong table. the underground elite The history of dates back to the early 1980s. Israeli-born Lorenzo Hadar moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s with his wife and opened his first boutique, La Mirage, in 1982, on Sunset Plaza, West Hollywood. Two years later, Hadar changed strategy and launched on Sunset Boulevard. The boutique quickly gained a reputation among Hollywood insiders, celebrities and fashion-conscious locals for its bold selection. Originally offering a mix of menswear and womenswear, the store quickly expanded with the addition of a women's boutique and a dedicated men's boutique, often described as a 'cage' due to its spectacular, sculptural architecture. Brands represented in both stores today include Acne Studios, Homme Plissé, Bode, Bottega Veneta, Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, Rick Owens, and Jean Paul Gaultier. Another address of the empire in Los Angeles, H-L-N-R on North Robertson Boulevard opened in 2008. A concept that was totally conceived from an eco-responsibility point of view, with solar panels, paperless systems and recycled materials, now houses both men's and women's collections. Today, the store is one of West Hollywood's iconic boutiques. Finally, following the launch of a now-closed store dedicated to sportswear in Beverly Hills, H. Lorenzo finally opened another space in Downtown LA in 2017, called Archive, in the Arts District. Located at 605 South Santa Fe Avenue, the 4,000-square-foot space showcases past-season pieces from high-end brands like Helmut Lang and Raf Simons. Just One Eye, the spirit of an art gallery In 2012, French-Italian Paola Russo, former artistic director of the Maxfield boutique, opened her first store in the 1927 Art Deco fortress belonging to airplane pilot, producer and director Howard Hughes. In 2019, the entrepreneur moved to Sycamore District, next door to Tartine Bakery, in a 13,000 square-foot-space. She will be followed by a number of fashion brands, including Officine Generale, Jacques Marie Mage and Nili Lotan. With no window display, the store can be discovered by pushing open the wide black metal door. Designed more as an art gallery than a traditional store, the space regularly showcases the work of famous artists, from John Chamberlain's compressions to fantastic works by Takashi Murakami, Gary Lang and Damien Hirst. The entire first floor, organized into multiple lounges, showcases the brands selected by Paola Russo. These include collections by Marine Serre, Prada, Proenza Schouler, The Row, Lemaire and Victoria Beckham, designer jewelry brands such as Nina Runsdorf, Azlée and Venyx, a selection of perfumes and beauty products, fine books, sculptures, furniture and home accessories. Two years ago, actor Brad Pritt presented his furniture brand, created in collaboration with designer Frank Pollaro. Just One Eye also features a hair salon, the Serrano Salon. With its private outdoor access, the space welcomes many celebrities for a last-minute blow-dry or a stylish cut. The Webster, style and selected Frenchwoman Laure Hériard Dubreuil, originally from Cognac, France, founded The Webster in 2009. Initially presented as a pop-up, her concept store opens on Collins Avenue in a sublime Art Deco building, originally built as the Webster Hotel in 1939. A former merchandiser at Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent, Dubreuil founded the brand with the idea of offering a high curation of labels including luxury brands like Gucci, Chloé, Burberry, Loewe, Acne Studios, and emerging designers like Rhude. 'Our approach is to present looks that often combine different brands,' Dubreuil explained in an interview with "We don't have sections dedicated to individual brands, except in the case of single-brand events. This approach is an essential element of our success, as is the décor of our stores, which allows for unique shopping experiences." Opening in 2020, the Los Angeles store opened within the Beverly Grove shopping mall. Tanzanian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, known for his work on the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and more recently on the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, has designed the décor. He turned it into a cathedral-like building, with imposing pink columns - pink is The Webster's signature color - and a music installation by artist Khalil Joseph on the walls of the outer dome. Over the years, The Webster has grown to operate around 13 boutiques across the U.S and Canada, including key locations in New York City, Houston, South Beach and Bal Harbour in Miami. In California, The Webster is also present in Palm Springs and Costa Mesa within the luxury mall South Coast Plaza. The most recent openings have been in Las Vegas and Austin, with plans to open a store in Dallas in the pipeline. Teller, feminine eye for singular pieces This women's multi-brand store opened in 2021 at the Platform shopping center in Culver City. Founded by Jaime Fishbein, wife of David Fishbein, the co-founder of Platform, Teller is an 'ode to the women of our city," showcasing some sixty independent and international apparel labels positioned as 'advanced contemporary brands,' like Proenza Schouler, Anine Bing, Staud, By Malene Birger and Mattau, completed by a number of accessories and jewelry brands including MM Druck, Oliver Peoples and Bembien bags. According to the brand, "the Teller wardrobe is equal parts color-forward and grounded in colors." Teller has also launched its own eponymous brand, which today offers mainly basics, including a line of T-shirts. Inspired by 1930s Mexico City, Mike Moser Studio imagines an interior featuring curved alcoves, troweled plaster walls, pistachio concrete floors and displays covered by tiles and mosaics. The ceiling features a sculptural chandelier designed by Greg Lynn in fiberglass. In January, Teller added a second store in Montecino, in the Santa Barbara area. At The Montecito Post shopping center, the Teller brand presents the same selection as in Los Angeles, with a few exclusive brands including Tove, Anna October, Simkhai and Olympia Le Tan. The Optimist, co-founded by David Fishbein and Joseph Miller, co-founders of Platform, is just a few steps from the Teller store. Teller's men's has been designed by interior architect Jeremiah Brent, and invites into a chic apartment space, covered in contemporary and vintage furniture, where some 50 brands are presented, with a focus on European and Scandinavian brands. These include AMI, Samsoe Samsoe, and Les Deux. For some years now, The Optimist has also been presenting its own brand, Lemain. The clothing brand focuses on elevated essentials with an emphasis on 'naturalness in everyday life and comfortable essentials' and includes pants, T-shirt, camp shirt, jackets and sweaters. Goop, dressed to heal In 2008, Gwyneth Paltrow created Goop, a weekly wellness and lifestyle newsletter written by the actress, sharing tips on clean living, beauty, fashion and travels. A few years later, Goop launched its own skincare, apparel and supplement lines in e-commerce. Physical poop-ups followed, notably in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. It wasn't until May 2017 that the first Goop store opened in Brentwood Country Mart in Los Angeles. For this premiere, Paltrow called on renowned interior design duo Roman and Williams, the NYC firm also known for designing Ace Hotels. Designed to feel like a beautifully styled home, the store invites customers to experience 'the lifestyle according to Goop' and blends fashion, clean beauty, wellness products, and kitchenware. On the fashion side, Goop showcases a curated selection of fashion-forward labels including Toteme, Rosie Assoulin, Proenza Schouler White Label, Dôen and Heirlome. Added to this is Goop's in-house collection with its G. Label by Goop. Launched in 2016, this line offers elevated essentials 'designed to be luxurious, minimalist, and versatile,' including blazers, blouses, cashmere knits and minimalist dresses. The Goop brand has since spread to several cities in the United States, including New York at 25 Bond Street in 2018 and the Hamptons at Sag Harbor, Montecito inside the Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel and Larkspur in California. There is also another location in Hawaii, where in 2020 the brand opened a permanent store inside the Mauna Lani, an Auberge Resorts Collection Hotel. Mameg, outside the lines This confidential multi-brand store, founded by Sonia Eram in the late 90s, was long located next door to the Martin Margiela store in Beverly Hills, now relocated at Melrose Place. After a forced relocation, the store found refuge in designer Sonia Boyajian's jewelry studio-boutique with its splendid Art Deco architecture. In September 2024, Eram announces its official arrival to Camden Drive, just opposite the famous Gagosian Gallery, at 417 N Camden Drive. The boutique moved into a Victorian brick building reminiscent of London's finest districts, all designed by Johnston Marklee. Mameg has taken elements of the old décor, such as this zigzag table, and added designer furniture. The boutique offers fashion items by Loewe, Marni, Walter Van Beirendonck, Balenciaga and Y- Project. Given Eram's passion for art, the new Mameg boutique opens onto a courtyard adorned with baobabs and a work of art entitled 'Laokoon' by artist Per Kirkeby. A monumental work in patinated bronze, worth several million dollars, installed by Michael Werner Gallery. As in its previous spaces, the Mameg boutique this time shares its space with Michael Werner Gallery. The German gallery owner opened his doors in Berlin in the early 60s and now has galleries in New York, London and Athens. Specializing in modern masters such as Hans Arp and Francis Picabia, the gallery also represents many highly talented European artists, including Enrico David, Per Kirkeby and German painter Florian Krewer. Des Kohan, confidential and lifestyle curation Having begun her career as a trendsetter for luxury brands such as Prada, Miu Miu and Gucci, Desiree Kohan has forged a reputation as a discoverer of emerging talent and unique fashion sources. After living in Europe for several years, she returned to Los Angeles in 2005 and opened her first boutique, Des Kohan on Miracle Mile. A boutique inspired by her global esthetic, marrying European sophistication with adventurous, one-of-a-kind design and housed in a 1920s warehouse on Cloverdale Avenue. In 2021, the Des Kohan boutique moves to West Hollywood location on Fairfax Avenue. Housed in a Mid-Century brick building, Des Kohan's gallery-like setting is composed of a minimalistic but warm architectural style that is accented with one-of-a-kind vintage furniture and objects entirely designed by Kohan herself to provide more than a mere retail destination. The inviting space features a tea bar and multiple sitting areas. The notable vintage pieces include Frank Lloyd Wright original plywood chairs from the 40'S, an Angelo Mangiarotti travertine coffee table, a vintage Roche Bobois table, and original Thonet wood cane chairs. In this 5,000-square-foot gallery-like space, Kohan presents the collections of ready-to-wear brands amidst paintings and works of art hanging on the walls. Regularly featured brands include Damir Doma, Helmut Lang, JW Anderson, Khaite and Róhe. The Stronghold, built to last Founded in 1895, The Stronghold was Los Angeles' first branded clothing manufacturer, specializing in denim and canvas workwear for men, women and children. According to the brand, it became the largest clothing manufacturer in Southern California by 1912, employing 1,000 people in downtown Los Angeles. Adored by Angelenos, the brand was featured in early Hollywood films - Charlie Chaplin wore its bib overalls in "Modern Times" and Henry Fonda wore Stronghold denim in "The Grapes of Wrath". After going bankrupt in the late 1940s, the Stronghold brand was resurrected by Michael Cassell in 2004, who discovered a pair of vintage Stronghold jeans in an abandoned mine and decided to relaunch the brand with authentic, archive-based designs and production in Los Angeles, using original materials and methods. The Stronghold boutique openned at 1625 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, filled with vintage tailor tables, antique sewing machines and custom cabinetry. The racks feature The Stronghold's own collection of raw denim, chambray shirts, canvas coats and chore jackets, overalls and engineer's pants. The Stronghold also carries various heritage brands as handmade shoes and boots by Alden, shirts by Gitman Vintage, outdoor gear and bags by Filson, leather jackets by Lewis Leathers, and socks by Fox River.
Fashion Network
20 hours ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Los Angeles: the 13 multi-brand stores that set the standard
From the institutions of Maxfield and Dover Street Market to the creative concepts of Departamento and Mohawk General Store, Los Angeles boasts a unique selection of multi-brand stores offering a curated universe that reflects a real lifestyle. While a few cult addresses have had to close their doors in recent months, such as Terminal 27 and Fred Segal, these 13 stores have weathered the crisis and online shopping fever. takes a look at their history and current situation. Mohawk General Store, fully renovated This concept store beloved of East Side Angelenos was founded in 2008 by Kevin and Bo Carney. Located in Silver Lake, just off Junction Sunset, their concept store, which has been mixing selective fashion, music and 1950s furniture since its origins, features a first store dedicated to men, next to another dedicated to women. Completely renovated last May, the men's store has revamped its facade, now painted black, reunited its two former spaces and reimagined a décor designed by Klein Agency, a maker of collectibles, furnishings and spaces in Los Angeles, who also runs a store at the Signal Shops shopping center in the Arts District. "The project was definitely about introducing the minimal architectural moves that allowed us to almost double the previous size of the store as well as peel off old building layers and expose the bones of the building that the store sits in," explained Masa Loncaric Kleinhample, co-founder of Klein Agency. 'We layered it with honey toned wall veneer, solid aluminium and poured in place concrete. All of it to create multiple different moments in the store that Kevin Carney is able to brand and expose his collections in variety of different vignettes.' In the first space, a large semi-circular wooden bench surrounds a selection of ready-to-wear items, including the in-house Smock brand, shoes, jewelry accessories, eyewear and small leather goods. The second space is organized around a large central lounge equipped with a vintage hi-fi and turntable, and high consoles and display cases showcasing another selection of accessories. A long wall-mounted rack displays clothes by Lemaire, Jacquemus, Undercover, Homme Plissé, Dries Van Noten and Stüssy. The retro 1950s ambience is echoed in the women's boutique, where vintage furniture, chests of drawers, shelves, tables and bookcases display accessories, perfumes, home décor and ready-to-wear. The house mixes international references such as Dries Van Noten, Our Legacy, Ganni, Gil Rodriguez, Rachel Comey, Baserange and Auralee. Dover Street Market Los Angeles, the avant-garde of fashion Another Los Angeles institution, the Arts District's Dover Street Market opened for the first time in Los Angeles in late 2018, five years after the New York concept store opening. Deliberately located in an unfrequented part of the district, and on a single level, Dover Street Market Los Angeles set up shop at 608 Imperial Street in a former meat warehouse, with no windows visible from the outside. Today, Dover Street Market Los Angeles presents its favorite brands, including a large presence of luxury labels such as Prada, Jil Sander, Balenciaga, Miu Miu and Phoebe Philo, grouped in two spaces dedicated to men and women. The boutique is also home to 'Creative Spaces', brand spaces in the form of artistic installations, dedicated to Comme des Garçons collections and a temporary selection of designers, including Kiko Kostadinov, Wales Bonner, Sacaï, Doublet, Palace, and Maison Margiela. Collaborations are regularly showcased in various installations, such as the black aquarium currently encapsulating the Nike X Dover Street Market collection. There's also an area dedicated to jewelry, a Rose Bakery café with a terrace where visitors can enjoy a cake or a Chaï Latte, and an area dedicated to sneakers. Dover Street Market now has seven stores worldwide, in London, Tokyo, New York, Singapore, Beijing, Paris and Los Angeles. A store dedicated to beauty, Dover Street Parfums Market has also opened in Paris in 2019. Maxfield Los Angeles, a fashion icon in West Hollywood More than just a store, Maxfield has established itself as a fashion icon in Los Angeles. Founded by Tommy Perse in 1969 - initially under the name Maxfield Bleu - the multi-brand store, which quickly made a name for itself by dressing artists and musicians, set up shop in West Hollywood next door to The Troubadour club, unveiling stunning window displays with coffins and hanging mannequins, capturing the attention of customers. Maxfield was also the first to introduce European and Japanese brands such as Armani, Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto in the mid-70s. In 1985, Maxfield finally moved to 8825 Melrose Avenue in an all-concrete warehouse and unveiled its collections in an industrial art gallery atmosphere, adorned with three giant sculptures, replicas of the Mohai statues on Easter Island. Inside, the store's brutalist style has since showcased fashion collections from around a hundred houses, ranging from luxury brands such as Givenchy, Jil Sander, Rick Owens and Maison Margiela to Californian brands including Fear of God, and numerous jewelry, fragrance and accessory brands. Exclusive collaborations, including the latest between Adidas and American designer Willy Chavarria, are regularly presented. A special feature of Maxfield is the Jean Prouvé Nomad House at the entrance to the store. This building, imported directly from France, has since been used as a pop-up gallery, showcasing designers such as Maison Margiela, Amiri and Valentino, or for exceptional sales. The company has also opened Maxfield Bleu, a temporary space dedicated to sales of archival pieces or brand events, such as Nahmias, which presented its collaboration with artist Andrés Reisinger in 2024. A second Maxfield address is also located in the Malibu Country Mart shopping center in Malibu. Opened in 2009, this second space resides in a repurposed weathered-wood barn and focuses on beach essentials such as cashmere, sweatshirts, sneakers, swimwear alongside select ready-to-wear for men and women, footwear, bags and home objects. Departamento, the speakeasy fashion concept Founded in 2017 by Andrew Dryden and Joseph Quinones, multi-brand store Departamento began in Los Angeles as a private styling service for creatives circles and transitioned into a physical store in 2018. A reference point for all Los Angeles stylists and fashion collectors, they find here a selection of luxury labels with Loewe, Lemaire and Marni as regular brands and new emerging brands such as Enfants Riches Déprimés, Wales Bonner, Phipps and Edward Cuming. Housed in the backroom of the Maru coffee shop in the Arts District, their first store followed the idea of the speakeasy. Designed by Dryden, the space, now converted into an archive and entitled 'DPTO:annex', jutaxposed raw wood and steel piping with David Lynchian mirrored sections and plush 1950s motifs. In 2024, Departamento moved to the Signal Shops complex on Traction Avenue in the Arts District. Dryden and Quinones continued the speakeasy concept, this time moving into the back of the Concierge coffee shop. A mirrored corridor opens onto the new, larger Departamento concept, whose design was entirely steered by the 22RE agency and its founder Dean Devin. Influenced by deconstructivism, 22RE founder Dean Levin created a 4,000-square-foot space featured by a grid layout - reminiscent of a library or supermarket - that has been divided into distinct zones. 'As customers explore each corner of the store, they get a glimpse of the different vignettes and collections through strategically placed mirrors, adding an element of voyeuristic intrigue to their journey,' said Levin. 'The design encourages a moment of discovery.' The mix of metal, black wood, stainless steel and leather on the displays creates a futuristic, disconnected look. In addition to the usual brand collections, Departamento presents a space reminiscent of ryokan architecture, with collections by designer Taiga Takahashi. Another adjacent space is dedicated to fragrances and accessories. Bodega, streetwear best-kept secret Destination The Row, the Arts District shopping center, food market and former warehouse of the American Apparel brand, invested since 2017 by boutiques and restaurants. Founded in 2006, multi-brand store La Bodega is the brainchild of three Boston-based associates, Dan Natola, Oliver Mak and Jay Gordon. Together, they set up a speakeasy-like fashion gallery in Boston, closed in 2024, tucked behind a bodega façade, and combined fashion, art and sneakers. Twelve years later, the trio duplicated their idea in Los Angeles, taking over an 8,000-square-foot warehouse. Visitors step through the Exit door, past plastic sheeting and melon crates, and immerse themselves in a street market atmosphere with, on the first floor, a replica of a New York deli selling everything from hair curlers to Mac' n' Cheese and tomato cans. There's also a shop-in-shop area dedicated to brands - Vans has been there and Kapital is currently occupying the space - and even a piece of skatepark parquet. The first floor also features two wall sections dedicated to sneakers, with brands such as Salomon, Nike, Loci, Puma and On. A long staircase leads up to a chill mid-level lounge for books and community, which today houses the collections of Indonesian label Devastates and Canadian brand Estudio Niksen, two up-and-coming labels. An upper floor, regularly dedicated to fashion collections and accessories, is now being remodeled. The house previously presented a selection of brands ranging from Carhartt WIP to Lemaire, Stone Island, Homme Plissé, Maison Margiela and Helmut Lang, gathered around a lounge and ping-pong table. the underground elite The history of dates back to the early 1980s. Israeli-born Lorenzo Hadar moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s with his wife and opened his first boutique, La Mirage, in 1982, on Sunset Plaza, West Hollywood. Two years later, Hadar changed strategy and launched on Sunset Boulevard. The boutique quickly gained a reputation among Hollywood insiders, celebrities and fashion-conscious locals for its bold selection. Originally offering a mix of menswear and womenswear, the store quickly expanded with the addition of a women's boutique and a dedicated men's boutique, often described as a 'cage' due to its spectacular, sculptural architecture. Brands represented in both stores today include Acne Studios, Homme Plissé, Bode, Bottega Veneta, Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, Rick Owens, and Jean Paul Gaultier. Another address of the empire in Los Angeles, H-L-N-R on North Robertson Boulevard opened in 2008. A concept that was totally conceived from an eco-responsibility point of view, with solar panels, paperless systems and recycled materials, now houses both men's and women's collections. Today, the store is one of West Hollywood's iconic boutiques. Finally, following the launch of a now-closed store dedicated to sportswear in Beverly Hills, H. Lorenzo finally opened another space in Downtown LA in 2017, called Archive, in the Arts District. Located at 605 South Santa Fe Avenue, the 4,000-square-foot space showcases past-season pieces from high-end brands like Helmut Lang and Raf Simons. Just One Eye, the spirit of an art gallery In 2012, French-Italian Paola Russo, former artistic director of the Maxfield boutique, opened her first store in the 1927 Art Deco fortress belonging to airplane pilot, producer and director Howard Hughes. In 2019, the entrepreneur moved to Sycamore District, next door to Tartine Bakery, in a 13,000 square-foot-space. She will be followed by a number of fashion brands, including Officine Generale, Jacques Marie Mage and Nili Lotan. With no window display, the store can be discovered by pushing open the wide black metal door. Designed more as an art gallery than a traditional store, the space regularly showcases the work of famous artists, from John Chamberlain's compressions to fantastic works by Takashi Murakami, Gary Lang and Damien Hirst. The entire first floor, organized into multiple lounges, showcases the brands selected by Paola Russo. These include collections by Marine Serre, Prada, Proenza Schouler, The Row, Lemaire and Victoria Beckham, designer jewelry brands such as Nina Runsdorf, Azlée and Venyx, a selection of perfumes and beauty products, fine books, sculptures, furniture and home accessories. Two years ago, actor Brad Pritt presented his furniture brand, created in collaboration with designer Frank Pollaro. Just One Eye also features a hair salon, the Serrano Salon. With its private outdoor access, the space welcomes many celebrities for a last-minute blow-dry or a stylish cut. The Webster, style and selected Frenchwoman Laure Hériard Dubreuil, originally from Cognac, France, founded The Webster in 2009. Initially presented as a pop-up, her concept store opens on Collins Avenue in a sublime Art Deco building, originally built as the Webster Hotel in 1939. A former merchandiser at Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent, Dubreuil founded the brand with the idea of offering a high curation of labels including luxury brands like Gucci, Chloé, Burberry, Loewe, Acne Studios, and emerging designers like Rhude. 'Our approach is to present looks that often combine different brands,' Dubreuil explained in an interview with "We don't have sections dedicated to individual brands, except in the case of single-brand events. This approach is an essential element of our success, as is the décor of our stores, which allows for unique shopping experiences." Opening in 2020, the Los Angeles store opened within the Beverly Grove shopping mall. Tanzanian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, known for his work on the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and more recently on the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, has designed the décor. He turned it into a cathedral-like building, with imposing pink columns - pink is The Webster's signature color - and a music installation by artist Khalil Joseph on the walls of the outer dome. Over the years, The Webster has grown to operate around 13 boutiques across the U.S and Canada, including key locations in New York City, Houston, South Beach and Bal Harbour in Miami. In California, The Webster is also present in Palm Springs and Costa Mesa within the luxury mall South Coast Plaza. The most recent openings have been in Las Vegas and Austin, with plans to open a store in Dallas in the pipeline. Teller, feminine eye for singular pieces This women's multi-brand store opened in 2021 at the Platform shopping center in Culver City. Founded by Jaime Fishbein, wife of David Fishbein, the co-founder of Platform, Teller is an 'ode to the women of our city," showcasing some sixty independent and international apparel labels positioned as 'advanced contemporary brands,' like Proenza Schouler, Anine Bing, Staud, By Malene Birger and Mattau, completed by a number of accessories and jewelry brands including MM Druck, Oliver Peoples and Bembien bags. According to the brand, "the Teller wardrobe is equal parts color-forward and grounded in colors." Teller has also launched its own eponymous brand, which today offers mainly basics, including a line of T-shirts. Inspired by 1930s Mexico City, Mike Moser Studio imagines an interior featuring curved alcoves, troweled plaster walls, pistachio concrete floors and displays covered by tiles and mosaics. The ceiling features a sculptural chandelier designed by Greg Lynn in fiberglass. In January, Teller added a second store in Montecino, in the Santa Barbara area. At The Montecito Post shopping center, the Teller brand presents the same selection as in Los Angeles, with a few exclusive brands including Tove, Anna October, Simkhai and Olympia Le Tan. The Optimist, co-founded by David Fishbein and Joseph Miller, co-founders of Platform, is just a few steps from the Teller store. Teller's men's has been designed by interior architect Jeremiah Brent, and invites into a chic apartment space, covered in contemporary and vintage furniture, where some 50 brands are presented, with a focus on European and Scandinavian brands. These include AMI, Samsoe Samsoe, and Les Deux. For some years now, The Optimist has also been presenting its own brand, Lemain. The clothing brand focuses on elevated essentials with an emphasis on 'naturalness in everyday life and comfortable essentials' and includes pants, T-shirt, camp shirt, jackets and sweaters. Goop, dressed to heal In 2008, Gwyneth Paltrow created Goop, a weekly wellness and lifestyle newsletter written by the actress, sharing tips on clean living, beauty, fashion and travels. A few years later, Goop launched its own skincare, apparel and supplement lines in e-commerce. Physical poop-ups followed, notably in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. It wasn't until May 2017 that the first Goop store opened in Brentwood Country Mart in Los Angeles. For this premiere, Paltrow called on renowned interior design duo Roman and Williams, the NYC firm also known for designing Ace Hotels. Designed to feel like a beautifully styled home, the store invites customers to experience 'the lifestyle according to Goop' and blends fashion, clean beauty, wellness products, and kitchenware. On the fashion side, Goop showcases a curated selection of fashion-forward labels including Toteme, Rosie Assoulin, Proenza Schouler White Label, Dôen and Heirlome. Added to this is Goop's in-house collection with its G. Label by Goop. Launched in 2016, this line offers elevated essentials 'designed to be luxurious, minimalist, and versatile,' including blazers, blouses, cashmere knits and minimalist dresses. The Goop brand has since spread to several cities in the United States, including New York at 25 Bond Street in 2018 and the Hamptons at Sag Harbor, Montecito inside the Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel and Larkspur in California. There is also another location in Hawaii, where in 2020 the brand opened a permanent store inside the Mauna Lani, an Auberge Resorts Collection Hotel. Mameg, outside the lines This confidential multi-brand store, founded by Sonia Eram in the late 90s, was long located next door to the Martin Margiela store in Beverly Hills, now relocated at Melrose Place. After a forced relocation, the store found refuge in designer Sonia Boyajian's jewelry studio-boutique with its splendid Art Deco architecture. In September 2024, Eram announces its official arrival to Camden Drive, just opposite the famous Gagosian Gallery, at 417 N Camden Drive. The boutique moved into a Victorian brick building reminiscent of London's finest districts, all designed by Johnston Marklee. Mameg has taken elements of the old décor, such as this zigzag table, and added designer furniture. The boutique offers fashion items by Loewe, Marni, Walter Van Beirendonck, Balenciaga and Y- Project. Given Eram's passion for art, the new Mameg boutique opens onto a courtyard adorned with baobabs and a work of art entitled 'Laokoon' by artist Per Kirkeby. A monumental work in patinated bronze, worth several million dollars, installed by Michael Werner Gallery. As in its previous spaces, the Mameg boutique this time shares its space with Michael Werner Gallery. The German gallery owner opened his doors in Berlin in the early 60s and now has galleries in New York, London and Athens. Specializing in modern masters such as Hans Arp and Francis Picabia, the gallery also represents many highly talented European artists, including Enrico David, Per Kirkeby and German painter Florian Krewer. Des Kohan, confidential and lifestyle curation Having begun her career as a trendsetter for luxury brands such as Prada, Miu Miu and Gucci, Desiree Kohan has forged a reputation as a discoverer of emerging talent and unique fashion sources. After living in Europe for several years, she returned to Los Angeles in 2005 and opened her first boutique, Des Kohan on Miracle Mile. A boutique inspired by her global esthetic, marrying European sophistication with adventurous, one-of-a-kind design and housed in a 1920s warehouse on Cloverdale Avenue. In 2021, the Des Kohan boutique moves to West Hollywood location on Fairfax Avenue. Housed in a Mid-Century brick building, Des Kohan's gallery-like setting is composed of a minimalistic but warm architectural style that is accented with one-of-a-kind vintage furniture and objects entirely designed by Kohan herself to provide more than a mere retail destination. The inviting space features a tea bar and multiple sitting areas. The notable vintage pieces include Frank Lloyd Wright original plywood chairs from the 40'S, an Angelo Mangiarotti travertine coffee table, a vintage Roche Bobois table, and original Thonet wood cane chairs. In this 5,000-square-foot gallery-like space, Kohan presents the collections of ready-to-wear brands amidst paintings and works of art hanging on the walls. Regularly featured brands include Damir Doma, Helmut Lang, JW Anderson, Khaite and Róhe. The Stronghold, built to last Founded in 1895, The Stronghold was Los Angeles' first branded clothing manufacturer, specializing in denim and canvas workwear for men, women and children. According to the brand, it became the largest clothing manufacturer in Southern California by 1912, employing 1,000 people in downtown Los Angeles. Adored by Angelenos, the brand was featured in early Hollywood films - Charlie Chaplin wore its bib overalls in "Modern Times" and Henry Fonda wore Stronghold denim in "The Grapes of Wrath". After going bankrupt in the late 1940s, the Stronghold brand was resurrected by Michael Cassell in 2004, who discovered a pair of vintage Stronghold jeans in an abandoned mine and decided to relaunch the brand with authentic, archive-based designs and production in Los Angeles, using original materials and methods. The Stronghold boutique openned at 1625 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, filled with vintage tailor tables, antique sewing machines and custom cabinetry. The racks feature The Stronghold's own collection of raw denim, chambray shirts, canvas coats and chore jackets, overalls and engineer's pants. The Stronghold also carries various heritage brands as handmade shoes and boots by Alden, shirts by Gitman Vintage, outdoor gear and bags by Filson, leather jackets by Lewis Leathers, and socks by Fox River.
Fashion Network
20 hours ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Los Angeles: the 13 multi-brand stores that set the standard
From the institutions of Maxfield and Dover Street Market to the creative concepts of Departamento and Mohawk General Store, Los Angeles boasts a unique selection of multi-brand stores offering a curated universe that reflects a real lifestyle. While a few cult addresses have had to close their doors in recent months, such as Terminal 27 and Fred Segal, these 13 stores have weathered the crisis and online shopping fever. takes a look at their history and current situation. Mohawk General Store, fully renovated This concept store beloved of East Side Angelenos was founded in 2008 by Kevin and Bo Carney. Located in Silver Lake, just off Junction Sunset, their concept store, which has been mixing selective fashion, music and 1950s furniture since its origins, features a first store dedicated to men, next to another dedicated to women. Completely renovated last May, the men's store has revamped its facade, now painted black, reunited its two former spaces and reimagined a décor designed by Klein Agency, a maker of collectibles, furnishings and spaces in Los Angeles, who also runs a store at the Signal Shops shopping center in the Arts District. "The project was definitely about introducing the minimal architectural moves that allowed us to almost double the previous size of the store as well as peel off old building layers and expose the bones of the building that the store sits in," explained Masa Loncaric Kleinhample, co-founder of Klein Agency. 'We layered it with honey toned wall veneer, solid aluminium and poured in place concrete. All of it to create multiple different moments in the store that Kevin Carney is able to brand and expose his collections in variety of different vignettes.' In the first space, a large semi-circular wooden bench surrounds a selection of ready-to-wear items, including the in-house Smock brand, shoes, jewelry accessories, eyewear and small leather goods. The second space is organized around a large central lounge equipped with a vintage hi-fi and turntable, and high consoles and display cases showcasing another selection of accessories. A long wall-mounted rack displays clothes by Lemaire, Jacquemus, Undercover, Homme Plissé, Dries Van Noten and Stüssy. The retro 1950s ambience is echoed in the women's boutique, where vintage furniture, chests of drawers, shelves, tables and bookcases display accessories, perfumes, home décor and ready-to-wear. The house mixes international references such as Dries Van Noten, Our Legacy, Ganni, Gil Rodriguez, Rachel Comey, Baserange and Auralee. Dover Street Market Los Angeles, the avant-garde of fashion Another Los Angeles institution, the Arts District's Dover Street Market opened for the first time in Los Angeles in late 2018, five years after the New York concept store opening. Deliberately located in an unfrequented part of the district, and on a single level, Dover Street Market Los Angeles set up shop at 608 Imperial Street in a former meat warehouse, with no windows visible from the outside. Today, Dover Street Market Los Angeles presents its favorite brands, including a large presence of luxury labels such as Prada, Jil Sander, Balenciaga, Miu Miu and Phoebe Philo, grouped in two spaces dedicated to men and women. The boutique is also home to 'Creative Spaces', brand spaces in the form of artistic installations, dedicated to Comme des Garçons collections and a temporary selection of designers, including Kiko Kostadinov, Wales Bonner, Sacaï, Doublet, Palace, and Maison Margiela. Collaborations are regularly showcased in various installations, such as the black aquarium currently encapsulating the Nike X Dover Street Market collection. There's also an area dedicated to jewelry, a Rose Bakery café with a terrace where visitors can enjoy a cake or a Chaï Latte, and an area dedicated to sneakers. Dover Street Market now has seven stores worldwide, in London, Tokyo, New York, Singapore, Beijing, Paris and Los Angeles. A store dedicated to beauty, Dover Street Parfums Market has also opened in Paris in 2019. Maxfield Los Angeles, a fashion icon in West Hollywood More than just a store, Maxfield has established itself as a fashion icon in Los Angeles. Founded by Tommy Perse in 1969 - initially under the name Maxfield Bleu - the multi-brand store, which quickly made a name for itself by dressing artists and musicians, set up shop in West Hollywood next door to The Troubadour club, unveiling stunning window displays with coffins and hanging mannequins, capturing the attention of customers. Maxfield was also the first to introduce European and Japanese brands such as Armani, Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto in the mid-70s. In 1985, Maxfield finally moved to 8825 Melrose Avenue in an all-concrete warehouse and unveiled its collections in an industrial art gallery atmosphere, adorned with three giant sculptures, replicas of the Mohai statues on Easter Island. Inside, the store's brutalist style has since showcased fashion collections from around a hundred houses, ranging from luxury brands such as Givenchy, Jil Sander, Rick Owens and Maison Margiela to Californian brands including Fear of God, and numerous jewelry, fragrance and accessory brands. Exclusive collaborations, including the latest between Adidas and American designer Willy Chavarria, are regularly presented. A special feature of Maxfield is the Jean Prouvé Nomad House at the entrance to the store. This building, imported directly from France, has since been used as a pop-up gallery, showcasing designers such as Maison Margiela, Amiri and Valentino, or for exceptional sales. The company has also opened Maxfield Bleu, a temporary space dedicated to sales of archival pieces or brand events, such as Nahmias, which presented its collaboration with artist Andrés Reisinger in 2024. A second Maxfield address is also located in the Malibu Country Mart shopping center in Malibu. Opened in 2009, this second space resides in a repurposed weathered-wood barn and focuses on beach essentials such as cashmere, sweatshirts, sneakers, swimwear alongside select ready-to-wear for men and women, footwear, bags and home objects. Departamento, the speakeasy fashion concept Founded in 2017 by Andrew Dryden and Joseph Quinones, multi-brand store Departamento began in Los Angeles as a private styling service for creatives circles and transitioned into a physical store in 2018. A reference point for all Los Angeles stylists and fashion collectors, they find here a selection of luxury labels with Loewe, Lemaire and Marni as regular brands and new emerging brands such as Enfants Riches Déprimés, Wales Bonner, Phipps and Edward Cuming. Housed in the backroom of the Maru coffee shop in the Arts District, their first store followed the idea of the speakeasy. Designed by Dryden, the space, now converted into an archive and entitled 'DPTO:annex', jutaxposed raw wood and steel piping with David Lynchian mirrored sections and plush 1950s motifs. In 2024, Departamento moved to the Signal Shops complex on Traction Avenue in the Arts District. Dryden and Quinones continued the speakeasy concept, this time moving into the back of the Concierge coffee shop. A mirrored corridor opens onto the new, larger Departamento concept, whose design was entirely steered by the 22RE agency and its founder Dean Devin. Influenced by deconstructivism, 22RE founder Dean Levin created a 4,000-square-foot space featured by a grid layout - reminiscent of a library or supermarket - that has been divided into distinct zones. 'As customers explore each corner of the store, they get a glimpse of the different vignettes and collections through strategically placed mirrors, adding an element of voyeuristic intrigue to their journey,' said Levin. 'The design encourages a moment of discovery.' The mix of metal, black wood, stainless steel and leather on the displays creates a futuristic, disconnected look. In addition to the usual brand collections, Departamento presents a space reminiscent of ryokan architecture, with collections by designer Taiga Takahashi. Another adjacent space is dedicated to fragrances and accessories. Bodega, streetwear best-kept secret Destination The Row, the Arts District shopping center, food market and former warehouse of the American Apparel brand, invested since 2017 by boutiques and restaurants. Founded in 2006, multi-brand store La Bodega is the brainchild of three Boston-based associates, Dan Natola, Oliver Mak and Jay Gordon. Together, they set up a speakeasy-like fashion gallery in Boston, closed in 2024, tucked behind a bodega façade, and combined fashion, art and sneakers. Twelve years later, the trio duplicated their idea in Los Angeles, taking over an 8,000-square-foot warehouse. Visitors step through the Exit door, past plastic sheeting and melon crates, and immerse themselves in a street market atmosphere with, on the first floor, a replica of a New York deli selling everything from hair curlers to Mac' n' Cheese and tomato cans. There's also a shop-in-shop area dedicated to brands - Vans has been there and Kapital is currently occupying the space - and even a piece of skatepark parquet. The first floor also features two wall sections dedicated to sneakers, with brands such as Salomon, Nike, Loci, Puma and On. A long staircase leads up to a chill mid-level lounge for books and community, which today houses the collections of Indonesian label Devastates and Canadian brand Estudio Niksen, two up-and-coming labels. An upper floor, regularly dedicated to fashion collections and accessories, is now being remodeled. The house previously presented a selection of brands ranging from Carhartt WIP to Lemaire, Stone Island, Homme Plissé, Maison Margiela and Helmut Lang, gathered around a lounge and ping-pong table. the underground elite The history of dates back to the early 1980s. Israeli-born Lorenzo Hadar moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s with his wife and opened his first boutique, La Mirage, in 1982, on Sunset Plaza, West Hollywood. Two years later, Hadar changed strategy and launched on Sunset Boulevard. The boutique quickly gained a reputation among Hollywood insiders, celebrities and fashion-conscious locals for its bold selection. Originally offering a mix of menswear and womenswear, the store quickly expanded with the addition of a women's boutique and a dedicated men's boutique, often described as a 'cage' due to its spectacular, sculptural architecture. Brands represented in both stores today include Acne Studios, Homme Plissé, Bode, Bottega Veneta, Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, Rick Owens, and Jean Paul Gaultier. Another address of the empire in Los Angeles, H-L-N-R on North Robertson Boulevard opened in 2008. A concept that was totally conceived from an eco-responsibility point of view, with solar panels, paperless systems and recycled materials, now houses both men's and women's collections. Today, the store is one of West Hollywood's iconic boutiques. Finally, following the launch of a now-closed store dedicated to sportswear in Beverly Hills, H. Lorenzo finally opened another space in Downtown LA in 2017, called Archive, in the Arts District. Located at 605 South Santa Fe Avenue, the 4,000-square-foot space showcases past-season pieces from high-end brands like Helmut Lang and Raf Simons. Just One Eye, the spirit of an art gallery In 2012, French-Italian Paola Russo, former artistic director of the Maxfield boutique, opened her first store in the 1927 Art Deco fortress belonging to airplane pilot, producer and director Howard Hughes. In 2019, the entrepreneur moved to Sycamore District, next door to Tartine Bakery, in a 13,000 square-foot-space. She will be followed by a number of fashion brands, including Officine Generale, Jacques Marie Mage and Nili Lotan. With no window display, the store can be discovered by pushing open the wide black metal door. Designed more as an art gallery than a traditional store, the space regularly showcases the work of famous artists, from John Chamberlain's compressions to fantastic works by Takashi Murakami, Gary Lang and Damien Hirst. The entire first floor, organized into multiple lounges, showcases the brands selected by Paola Russo. These include collections by Marine Serre, Prada, Proenza Schouler, The Row, Lemaire and Victoria Beckham, designer jewelry brands such as Nina Runsdorf, Azlée and Venyx, a selection of perfumes and beauty products, fine books, sculptures, furniture and home accessories. Two years ago, actor Brad Pritt presented his furniture brand, created in collaboration with designer Frank Pollaro. Just One Eye also features a hair salon, the Serrano Salon. With its private outdoor access, the space welcomes many celebrities for a last-minute blow-dry or a stylish cut. The Webster, style and selected Frenchwoman Laure Hériard Dubreuil, originally from Cognac, France, founded The Webster in 2009. Initially presented as a pop-up, her concept store opens on Collins Avenue in a sublime Art Deco building, originally built as the Webster Hotel in 1939. A former merchandiser at Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent, Dubreuil founded the brand with the idea of offering a high curation of labels including luxury brands like Gucci, Chloé, Burberry, Loewe, Acne Studios, and emerging designers like Rhude. 'Our approach is to present looks that often combine different brands,' Dubreuil explained in an interview with "We don't have sections dedicated to individual brands, except in the case of single-brand events. This approach is an essential element of our success, as is the décor of our stores, which allows for unique shopping experiences." Opening in 2020, the Los Angeles store opened within the Beverly Grove shopping mall. Tanzanian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, known for his work on the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and more recently on the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, has designed the décor. He turned it into a cathedral-like building, with imposing pink columns - pink is The Webster's signature color - and a music installation by artist Khalil Joseph on the walls of the outer dome. Over the years, The Webster has grown to operate around 13 boutiques across the U.S and Canada, including key locations in New York City, Houston, South Beach and Bal Harbour in Miami. In California, The Webster is also present in Palm Springs and Costa Mesa within the luxury mall South Coast Plaza. The most recent openings have been in Las Vegas and Austin, with plans to open a store in Dallas in the pipeline. Teller, feminine eye for singular pieces This women's multi-brand store opened in 2021 at the Platform shopping center in Culver City. Founded by Jaime Fishbein, wife of David Fishbein, the co-founder of Platform, Teller is an 'ode to the women of our city," showcasing some sixty independent and international apparel labels positioned as 'advanced contemporary brands,' like Proenza Schouler, Anine Bing, Staud, By Malene Birger and Mattau, completed by a number of accessories and jewelry brands including MM Druck, Oliver Peoples and Bembien bags. According to the brand, "the Teller wardrobe is equal parts color-forward and grounded in colors." Teller has also launched its own eponymous brand, which today offers mainly basics, including a line of T-shirts. Inspired by 1930s Mexico City, Mike Moser Studio imagines an interior featuring curved alcoves, troweled plaster walls, pistachio concrete floors and displays covered by tiles and mosaics. The ceiling features a sculptural chandelier designed by Greg Lynn in fiberglass. In January, Teller added a second store in Montecino, in the Santa Barbara area. At The Montecito Post shopping center, the Teller brand presents the same selection as in Los Angeles, with a few exclusive brands including Tove, Anna October, Simkhai and Olympia Le Tan. The Optimist, co-founded by David Fishbein and Joseph Miller, co-founders of Platform, is just a few steps from the Teller store. Teller's men's has been designed by interior architect Jeremiah Brent, and invites into a chic apartment space, covered in contemporary and vintage furniture, where some 50 brands are presented, with a focus on European and Scandinavian brands. These include AMI, Samsoe Samsoe, and Les Deux. For some years now, The Optimist has also been presenting its own brand, Lemain. The clothing brand focuses on elevated essentials with an emphasis on 'naturalness in everyday life and comfortable essentials' and includes pants, T-shirt, camp shirt, jackets and sweaters. Goop, dressed to heal In 2008, Gwyneth Paltrow created Goop, a weekly wellness and lifestyle newsletter written by the actress, sharing tips on clean living, beauty, fashion and travels. A few years later, Goop launched its own skincare, apparel and supplement lines in e-commerce. Physical poop-ups followed, notably in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. It wasn't until May 2017 that the first Goop store opened in Brentwood Country Mart in Los Angeles. For this premiere, Paltrow called on renowned interior design duo Roman and Williams, the NYC firm also known for designing Ace Hotels. Designed to feel like a beautifully styled home, the store invites customers to experience 'the lifestyle according to Goop' and blends fashion, clean beauty, wellness products, and kitchenware. On the fashion side, Goop showcases a curated selection of fashion-forward labels including Toteme, Rosie Assoulin, Proenza Schouler White Label, Dôen and Heirlome. Added to this is Goop's in-house collection with its G. Label by Goop. Launched in 2016, this line offers elevated essentials 'designed to be luxurious, minimalist, and versatile,' including blazers, blouses, cashmere knits and minimalist dresses. The Goop brand has since spread to several cities in the United States, including New York at 25 Bond Street in 2018 and the Hamptons at Sag Harbor, Montecito inside the Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel and Larkspur in California. There is also another location in Hawaii, where in 2020 the brand opened a permanent store inside the Mauna Lani, an Auberge Resorts Collection Hotel. Mameg, outside the lines This confidential multi-brand store, founded by Sonia Eram in the late 90s, was long located next door to the Martin Margiela store in Beverly Hills, now relocated at Melrose Place. After a forced relocation, the store found refuge in designer Sonia Boyajian's jewelry studio-boutique with its splendid Art Deco architecture. In September 2024, Eram announces its official arrival to Camden Drive, just opposite the famous Gagosian Gallery, at 417 N Camden Drive. The boutique moved into a Victorian brick building reminiscent of London's finest districts, all designed by Johnston Marklee. Mameg has taken elements of the old décor, such as this zigzag table, and added designer furniture. The boutique offers fashion items by Loewe, Marni, Walter Van Beirendonck, Balenciaga and Y- Project. Given Eram's passion for art, the new Mameg boutique opens onto a courtyard adorned with baobabs and a work of art entitled 'Laokoon' by artist Per Kirkeby. A monumental work in patinated bronze, worth several million dollars, installed by Michael Werner Gallery. As in its previous spaces, the Mameg boutique this time shares its space with Michael Werner Gallery. The German gallery owner opened his doors in Berlin in the early 60s and now has galleries in New York, London and Athens. Specializing in modern masters such as Hans Arp and Francis Picabia, the gallery also represents many highly talented European artists, including Enrico David, Per Kirkeby and German painter Florian Krewer. Des Kohan, confidential and lifestyle curation Having begun her career as a trendsetter for luxury brands such as Prada, Miu Miu and Gucci, Desiree Kohan has forged a reputation as a discoverer of emerging talent and unique fashion sources. After living in Europe for several years, she returned to Los Angeles in 2005 and opened her first boutique, Des Kohan on Miracle Mile. A boutique inspired by her global esthetic, marrying European sophistication with adventurous, one-of-a-kind design and housed in a 1920s warehouse on Cloverdale Avenue. In 2021, the Des Kohan boutique moves to West Hollywood location on Fairfax Avenue. Housed in a Mid-Century brick building, Des Kohan's gallery-like setting is composed of a minimalistic but warm architectural style that is accented with one-of-a-kind vintage furniture and objects entirely designed by Kohan herself to provide more than a mere retail destination. The inviting space features a tea bar and multiple sitting areas. The notable vintage pieces include Frank Lloyd Wright original plywood chairs from the 40'S, an Angelo Mangiarotti travertine coffee table, a vintage Roche Bobois table, and original Thonet wood cane chairs. In this 5,000-square-foot gallery-like space, Kohan presents the collections of ready-to-wear brands amidst paintings and works of art hanging on the walls. Regularly featured brands include Damir Doma, Helmut Lang, JW Anderson, Khaite and Róhe. The Stronghold, built to last Founded in 1895, The Stronghold was Los Angeles' first branded clothing manufacturer, specializing in denim and canvas workwear for men, women and children. According to the brand, it became the largest clothing manufacturer in Southern California by 1912, employing 1,000 people in downtown Los Angeles. Adored by Angelenos, the brand was featured in early Hollywood films - Charlie Chaplin wore its bib overalls in "Modern Times" and Henry Fonda wore Stronghold denim in "The Grapes of Wrath". After going bankrupt in the late 1940s, the Stronghold brand was resurrected by Michael Cassell in 2004, who discovered a pair of vintage Stronghold jeans in an abandoned mine and decided to relaunch the brand with authentic, archive-based designs and production in Los Angeles, using original materials and methods. The Stronghold boutique openned at 1625 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, filled with vintage tailor tables, antique sewing machines and custom cabinetry. The racks feature The Stronghold's own collection of raw denim, chambray shirts, canvas coats and chore jackets, overalls and engineer's pants. The Stronghold also carries various heritage brands as handmade shoes and boots by Alden, shirts by Gitman Vintage, outdoor gear and bags by Filson, leather jackets by Lewis Leathers, and socks by Fox River.
Fashion Network
20 hours ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Los Angeles: the 13 multi-brand stores that set the standard
From the institutions of Maxfield and Dover Street Market to the creative concepts of Departamento and Mohawk General Store, Los Angeles boasts a unique selection of multi-brand stores offering a curated universe that reflects a real lifestyle. While a few cult addresses have had to close their doors in recent months, such as Terminal 27 and Fred Segal, these 13 stores have weathered the crisis and online shopping fever. takes a look at their history and current situation. Mohawk General Store, fully renovated This concept store beloved of East Side Angelenos was founded in 2008 by Kevin and Bo Carney. Located in Silver Lake, just off Junction Sunset, their concept store, which has been mixing selective fashion, music and 1950s furniture since its origins, features a first store dedicated to men, next to another dedicated to women. Completely renovated last May, the men's store has revamped its facade, now painted black, reunited its two former spaces and reimagined a décor designed by Klein Agency, a maker of collectibles, furnishings and spaces in Los Angeles, who also runs a store at the Signal Shops shopping center in the Arts District. "The project was definitely about introducing the minimal architectural moves that allowed us to almost double the previous size of the store as well as peel off old building layers and expose the bones of the building that the store sits in," explained Masa Loncaric Kleinhample, co-founder of Klein Agency. 'We layered it with honey toned wall veneer, solid aluminium and poured in place concrete. All of it to create multiple different moments in the store that Kevin Carney is able to brand and expose his collections in variety of different vignettes.' In the first space, a large semi-circular wooden bench surrounds a selection of ready-to-wear items, including the in-house Smock brand, shoes, jewelry accessories, eyewear and small leather goods. The second space is organized around a large central lounge equipped with a vintage hi-fi and turntable, and high consoles and display cases showcasing another selection of accessories. A long wall-mounted rack displays clothes by Lemaire, Jacquemus, Undercover, Homme Plissé, Dries Van Noten and Stüssy. The retro 1950s ambience is echoed in the women's boutique, where vintage furniture, chests of drawers, shelves, tables and bookcases display accessories, perfumes, home décor and ready-to-wear. The house mixes international references such as Dries Van Noten, Our Legacy, Ganni, Gil Rodriguez, Rachel Comey, Baserange and Auralee. Dover Street Market Los Angeles, the avant-garde of fashion Another Los Angeles institution, the Arts District's Dover Street Market opened for the first time in Los Angeles in late 2018, five years after the New York concept store opening. Deliberately located in an unfrequented part of the district, and on a single level, Dover Street Market Los Angeles set up shop at 608 Imperial Street in a former meat warehouse, with no windows visible from the outside. Today, Dover Street Market Los Angeles presents its favorite brands, including a large presence of luxury labels such as Prada, Jil Sander, Balenciaga, Miu Miu and Phoebe Philo, grouped in two spaces dedicated to men and women. The boutique is also home to 'Creative Spaces', brand spaces in the form of artistic installations, dedicated to Comme des Garçons collections and a temporary selection of designers, including Kiko Kostadinov, Wales Bonner, Sacaï, Doublet, Palace, and Maison Margiela. Collaborations are regularly showcased in various installations, such as the black aquarium currently encapsulating the Nike X Dover Street Market collection. There's also an area dedicated to jewelry, a Rose Bakery café with a terrace where visitors can enjoy a cake or a Chaï Latte, and an area dedicated to sneakers. Dover Street Market now has seven stores worldwide, in London, Tokyo, New York, Singapore, Beijing, Paris and Los Angeles. A store dedicated to beauty, Dover Street Parfums Market has also opened in Paris in 2019. Maxfield Los Angeles, a fashion icon in West Hollywood More than just a store, Maxfield has established itself as a fashion icon in Los Angeles. Founded by Tommy Perse in 1969 - initially under the name Maxfield Bleu - the multi-brand store, which quickly made a name for itself by dressing artists and musicians, set up shop in West Hollywood next door to The Troubadour club, unveiling stunning window displays with coffins and hanging mannequins, capturing the attention of customers. Maxfield was also the first to introduce European and Japanese brands such as Armani, Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto in the mid-70s. In 1985, Maxfield finally moved to 8825 Melrose Avenue in an all-concrete warehouse and unveiled its collections in an industrial art gallery atmosphere, adorned with three giant sculptures, replicas of the Mohai statues on Easter Island. Inside, the store's brutalist style has since showcased fashion collections from around a hundred houses, ranging from luxury brands such as Givenchy, Jil Sander, Rick Owens and Maison Margiela to Californian brands including Fear of God, and numerous jewelry, fragrance and accessory brands. Exclusive collaborations, including the latest between Adidas and American designer Willy Chavarria, are regularly presented. A special feature of Maxfield is the Jean Prouvé Nomad House at the entrance to the store. This building, imported directly from France, has since been used as a pop-up gallery, showcasing designers such as Maison Margiela, Amiri and Valentino, or for exceptional sales. The company has also opened Maxfield Bleu, a temporary space dedicated to sales of archival pieces or brand events, such as Nahmias, which presented its collaboration with artist Andrés Reisinger in 2024. A second Maxfield address is also located in the Malibu Country Mart shopping center in Malibu. Opened in 2009, this second space resides in a repurposed weathered-wood barn and focuses on beach essentials such as cashmere, sweatshirts, sneakers, swimwear alongside select ready-to-wear for men and women, footwear, bags and home objects. Departamento, the speakeasy fashion concept Founded in 2017 by Andrew Dryden and Joseph Quinones, multi-brand store Departamento began in Los Angeles as a private styling service for creatives circles and transitioned into a physical store in 2018. A reference point for all Los Angeles stylists and fashion collectors, they find here a selection of luxury labels with Loewe, Lemaire and Marni as regular brands and new emerging brands such as Enfants Riches Déprimés, Wales Bonner, Phipps and Edward Cuming. Housed in the backroom of the Maru coffee shop in the Arts District, their first store followed the idea of the speakeasy. Designed by Dryden, the space, now converted into an archive and entitled 'DPTO:annex', jutaxposed raw wood and steel piping with David Lynchian mirrored sections and plush 1950s motifs. In 2024, Departamento moved to the Signal Shops complex on Traction Avenue in the Arts District. Dryden and Quinones continued the speakeasy concept, this time moving into the back of the Concierge coffee shop. A mirrored corridor opens onto the new, larger Departamento concept, whose design was entirely steered by the 22RE agency and its founder Dean Devin. Influenced by deconstructivism, 22RE founder Dean Levin created a 4,000-square-foot space featured by a grid layout - reminiscent of a library or supermarket - that has been divided into distinct zones. 'As customers explore each corner of the store, they get a glimpse of the different vignettes and collections through strategically placed mirrors, adding an element of voyeuristic intrigue to their journey,' said Levin. 'The design encourages a moment of discovery.' The mix of metal, black wood, stainless steel and leather on the displays creates a futuristic, disconnected look. In addition to the usual brand collections, Departamento presents a space reminiscent of ryokan architecture, with collections by designer Taiga Takahashi. Another adjacent space is dedicated to fragrances and accessories. Bodega, streetwear best-kept secret Destination The Row, the Arts District shopping center, food market and former warehouse of the American Apparel brand, invested since 2017 by boutiques and restaurants. Founded in 2006, multi-brand store La Bodega is the brainchild of three Boston-based associates, Dan Natola, Oliver Mak and Jay Gordon. Together, they set up a speakeasy-like fashion gallery in Boston, closed in 2024, tucked behind a bodega façade, and combined fashion, art and sneakers. Twelve years later, the trio duplicated their idea in Los Angeles, taking over an 8,000-square-foot warehouse. Visitors step through the Exit door, past plastic sheeting and melon crates, and immerse themselves in a street market atmosphere with, on the first floor, a replica of a New York deli selling everything from hair curlers to Mac' n' Cheese and tomato cans. There's also a shop-in-shop area dedicated to brands - Vans has been there and Kapital is currently occupying the space - and even a piece of skatepark parquet. The first floor also features two wall sections dedicated to sneakers, with brands such as Salomon, Nike, Loci, Puma and On. A long staircase leads up to a chill mid-level lounge for books and community, which today houses the collections of Indonesian label Devastates and Canadian brand Estudio Niksen, two up-and-coming labels. An upper floor, regularly dedicated to fashion collections and accessories, is now being remodeled. The house previously presented a selection of brands ranging from Carhartt WIP to Lemaire, Stone Island, Homme Plissé, Maison Margiela and Helmut Lang, gathered around a lounge and ping-pong table. the underground elite The history of dates back to the early 1980s. Israeli-born Lorenzo Hadar moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s with his wife and opened his first boutique, La Mirage, in 1982, on Sunset Plaza, West Hollywood. Two years later, Hadar changed strategy and launched on Sunset Boulevard. The boutique quickly gained a reputation among Hollywood insiders, celebrities and fashion-conscious locals for its bold selection. Originally offering a mix of menswear and womenswear, the store quickly expanded with the addition of a women's boutique and a dedicated men's boutique, often described as a 'cage' due to its spectacular, sculptural architecture. Brands represented in both stores today include Acne Studios, Homme Plissé, Bode, Bottega Veneta, Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, Rick Owens, and Jean Paul Gaultier. Another address of the empire in Los Angeles, H-L-N-R on North Robertson Boulevard opened in 2008. A concept that was totally conceived from an eco-responsibility point of view, with solar panels, paperless systems and recycled materials, now houses both men's and women's collections. Today, the store is one of West Hollywood's iconic boutiques. Finally, following the launch of a now-closed store dedicated to sportswear in Beverly Hills, H. Lorenzo finally opened another space in Downtown LA in 2017, called Archive, in the Arts District. Located at 605 South Santa Fe Avenue, the 4,000-square-foot space showcases past-season pieces from high-end brands like Helmut Lang and Raf Simons. Just One Eye, the spirit of an art gallery In 2012, French-Italian Paola Russo, former artistic director of the Maxfield boutique, opened her first store in the 1927 Art Deco fortress belonging to airplane pilot, producer and director Howard Hughes. In 2019, the entrepreneur moved to Sycamore District, next door to Tartine Bakery, in a 13,000 square-foot-space. She will be followed by a number of fashion brands, including Officine Generale, Jacques Marie Mage and Nili Lotan. With no window display, the store can be discovered by pushing open the wide black metal door. Designed more as an art gallery than a traditional store, the space regularly showcases the work of famous artists, from John Chamberlain's compressions to fantastic works by Takashi Murakami, Gary Lang and Damien Hirst. The entire first floor, organized into multiple lounges, showcases the brands selected by Paola Russo. These include collections by Marine Serre, Prada, Proenza Schouler, The Row, Lemaire and Victoria Beckham, designer jewelry brands such as Nina Runsdorf, Azlée and Venyx, a selection of perfumes and beauty products, fine books, sculptures, furniture and home accessories. Two years ago, actor Brad Pritt presented his furniture brand, created in collaboration with designer Frank Pollaro. Just One Eye also features a hair salon, the Serrano Salon. With its private outdoor access, the space welcomes many celebrities for a last-minute blow-dry or a stylish cut. The Webster, style and selected Frenchwoman Laure Hériard Dubreuil, originally from Cognac, France, founded The Webster in 2009. Initially presented as a pop-up, her concept store opens on Collins Avenue in a sublime Art Deco building, originally built as the Webster Hotel in 1939. A former merchandiser at Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent, Dubreuil founded the brand with the idea of offering a high curation of labels including luxury brands like Gucci, Chloé, Burberry, Loewe, Acne Studios, and emerging designers like Rhude. 'Our approach is to present looks that often combine different brands,' Dubreuil explained in an interview with "We don't have sections dedicated to individual brands, except in the case of single-brand events. This approach is an essential element of our success, as is the décor of our stores, which allows for unique shopping experiences." Opening in 2020, the Los Angeles store opened within the Beverly Grove shopping mall. Tanzanian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, known for his work on the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and more recently on the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, has designed the décor. He turned it into a cathedral-like building, with imposing pink columns - pink is The Webster's signature color - and a music installation by artist Khalil Joseph on the walls of the outer dome. Over the years, The Webster has grown to operate around 13 boutiques across the U.S and Canada, including key locations in New York City, Houston, South Beach and Bal Harbour in Miami. In California, The Webster is also present in Palm Springs and Costa Mesa within the luxury mall South Coast Plaza. The most recent openings have been in Las Vegas and Austin, with plans to open a store in Dallas in the pipeline. Teller, feminine eye for singular pieces This women's multi-brand store opened in 2021 at the Platform shopping center in Culver City. Founded by Jaime Fishbein, wife of David Fishbein, the co-founder of Platform, Teller is an 'ode to the women of our city," showcasing some sixty independent and international apparel labels positioned as 'advanced contemporary brands,' like Proenza Schouler, Anine Bing, Staud, By Malene Birger and Mattau, completed by a number of accessories and jewelry brands including MM Druck, Oliver Peoples and Bembien bags. According to the brand, "the Teller wardrobe is equal parts color-forward and grounded in colors." Teller has also launched its own eponymous brand, which today offers mainly basics, including a line of T-shirts. Inspired by 1930s Mexico City, Mike Moser Studio imagines an interior featuring curved alcoves, troweled plaster walls, pistachio concrete floors and displays covered by tiles and mosaics. The ceiling features a sculptural chandelier designed by Greg Lynn in fiberglass. In January, Teller added a second store in Montecino, in the Santa Barbara area. At The Montecito Post shopping center, the Teller brand presents the same selection as in Los Angeles, with a few exclusive brands including Tove, Anna October, Simkhai and Olympia Le Tan. The Optimist, co-founded by David Fishbein and Joseph Miller, co-founders of Platform, is just a few steps from the Teller store. Teller's men's has been designed by interior architect Jeremiah Brent, and invites into a chic apartment space, covered in contemporary and vintage furniture, where some 50 brands are presented, with a focus on European and Scandinavian brands. These include AMI, Samsoe Samsoe, and Les Deux. For some years now, The Optimist has also been presenting its own brand, Lemain. The clothing brand focuses on elevated essentials with an emphasis on 'naturalness in everyday life and comfortable essentials' and includes pants, T-shirt, camp shirt, jackets and sweaters. Goop, dressed to heal In 2008, Gwyneth Paltrow created Goop, a weekly wellness and lifestyle newsletter written by the actress, sharing tips on clean living, beauty, fashion and travels. A few years later, Goop launched its own skincare, apparel and supplement lines in e-commerce. Physical poop-ups followed, notably in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. It wasn't until May 2017 that the first Goop store opened in Brentwood Country Mart in Los Angeles. For this premiere, Paltrow called on renowned interior design duo Roman and Williams, the NYC firm also known for designing Ace Hotels. Designed to feel like a beautifully styled home, the store invites customers to experience 'the lifestyle according to Goop' and blends fashion, clean beauty, wellness products, and kitchenware. On the fashion side, Goop showcases a curated selection of fashion-forward labels including Toteme, Rosie Assoulin, Proenza Schouler White Label, Dôen and Heirlome. Added to this is Goop's in-house collection with its G. Label by Goop. Launched in 2016, this line offers elevated essentials 'designed to be luxurious, minimalist, and versatile,' including blazers, blouses, cashmere knits and minimalist dresses. The Goop brand has since spread to several cities in the United States, including New York at 25 Bond Street in 2018 and the Hamptons at Sag Harbor, Montecito inside the Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel and Larkspur in California. There is also another location in Hawaii, where in 2020 the brand opened a permanent store inside the Mauna Lani, an Auberge Resorts Collection Hotel. Mameg, outside the lines This confidential multi-brand store, founded by Sonia Eram in the late 90s, was long located next door to the Martin Margiela store in Beverly Hills, now relocated at Melrose Place. After a forced relocation, the store found refuge in designer Sonia Boyajian's jewelry studio-boutique with its splendid Art Deco architecture. In September 2024, Eram announces its official arrival to Camden Drive, just opposite the famous Gagosian Gallery, at 417 N Camden Drive. The boutique moved into a Victorian brick building reminiscent of London's finest districts, all designed by Johnston Marklee. Mameg has taken elements of the old décor, such as this zigzag table, and added designer furniture. The boutique offers fashion items by Loewe, Marni, Walter Van Beirendonck, Balenciaga and Y- Project. Given Eram's passion for art, the new Mameg boutique opens onto a courtyard adorned with baobabs and a work of art entitled 'Laokoon' by artist Per Kirkeby. A monumental work in patinated bronze, worth several million dollars, installed by Michael Werner Gallery. As in its previous spaces, the Mameg boutique this time shares its space with Michael Werner Gallery. The German gallery owner opened his doors in Berlin in the early 60s and now has galleries in New York, London and Athens. Specializing in modern masters such as Hans Arp and Francis Picabia, the gallery also represents many highly talented European artists, including Enrico David, Per Kirkeby and German painter Florian Krewer. Des Kohan, confidential and lifestyle curation Having begun her career as a trendsetter for luxury brands such as Prada, Miu Miu and Gucci, Desiree Kohan has forged a reputation as a discoverer of emerging talent and unique fashion sources. After living in Europe for several years, she returned to Los Angeles in 2005 and opened her first boutique, Des Kohan on Miracle Mile. A boutique inspired by her global esthetic, marrying European sophistication with adventurous, one-of-a-kind design and housed in a 1920s warehouse on Cloverdale Avenue. In 2021, the Des Kohan boutique moves to West Hollywood location on Fairfax Avenue. Housed in a Mid-Century brick building, Des Kohan's gallery-like setting is composed of a minimalistic but warm architectural style that is accented with one-of-a-kind vintage furniture and objects entirely designed by Kohan herself to provide more than a mere retail destination. The inviting space features a tea bar and multiple sitting areas. The notable vintage pieces include Frank Lloyd Wright original plywood chairs from the 40'S, an Angelo Mangiarotti travertine coffee table, a vintage Roche Bobois table, and original Thonet wood cane chairs. In this 5,000-square-foot gallery-like space, Kohan presents the collections of ready-to-wear brands amidst paintings and works of art hanging on the walls. Regularly featured brands include Damir Doma, Helmut Lang, JW Anderson, Khaite and Róhe. The Stronghold, built to last Founded in 1895, The Stronghold was Los Angeles' first branded clothing manufacturer, specializing in denim and canvas workwear for men, women and children. According to the brand, it became the largest clothing manufacturer in Southern California by 1912, employing 1,000 people in downtown Los Angeles. Adored by Angelenos, the brand was featured in early Hollywood films - Charlie Chaplin wore its bib overalls in "Modern Times" and Henry Fonda wore Stronghold denim in "The Grapes of Wrath". After going bankrupt in the late 1940s, the Stronghold brand was resurrected by Michael Cassell in 2004, who discovered a pair of vintage Stronghold jeans in an abandoned mine and decided to relaunch the brand with authentic, archive-based designs and production in Los Angeles, using original materials and methods. The Stronghold boutique openned at 1625 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, filled with vintage tailor tables, antique sewing machines and custom cabinetry. The racks feature The Stronghold's own collection of raw denim, chambray shirts, canvas coats and chore jackets, overalls and engineer's pants. The Stronghold also carries various heritage brands as handmade shoes and boots by Alden, shirts by Gitman Vintage, outdoor gear and bags by Filson, leather jackets by Lewis Leathers, and socks by Fox River.
Fashion Network
20 hours ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Los Angeles: the 13 multi-brand stores that set the standard
From the institutions of Maxfield and Dover Street Market to the creative concepts of Departamento and Mohawk General Store, Los Angeles boasts a unique selection of multi-brand stores offering a curated universe that reflects a real lifestyle. While a few cult addresses have had to close their doors in recent months, such as Terminal 27 and Fred Segal, these 13 stores have weathered the crisis and online shopping fever. takes a look at their history and current situation. Mohawk General Store, fully renovated This concept store beloved of East Side Angelenos was founded in 2008 by Kevin and Bo Carney. Located in Silver Lake, just off Junction Sunset, their concept store, which has been mixing selective fashion, music and 1950s furniture since its origins, features a first store dedicated to men, next to another dedicated to women. Completely renovated last May, the men's store has revamped its facade, now painted black, reunited its two former spaces and reimagined a décor designed by Klein Agency, a maker of collectibles, furnishings and spaces in Los Angeles, who also runs a store at the Signal Shops shopping center in the Arts District. "The project was definitely about introducing the minimal architectural moves that allowed us to almost double the previous size of the store as well as peel off old building layers and expose the bones of the building that the store sits in," explained Masa Loncaric Kleinhample, co-founder of Klein Agency. 'We layered it with honey toned wall veneer, solid aluminium and poured in place concrete. All of it to create multiple different moments in the store that Kevin Carney is able to brand and expose his collections in variety of different vignettes.' In the first space, a large semi-circular wooden bench surrounds a selection of ready-to-wear items, including the in-house Smock brand, shoes, jewelry accessories, eyewear and small leather goods. The second space is organized around a large central lounge equipped with a vintage hi-fi and turntable, and high consoles and display cases showcasing another selection of accessories. A long wall-mounted rack displays clothes by Lemaire, Jacquemus, Undercover, Homme Plissé, Dries Van Noten and Stüssy. The retro 1950s ambience is echoed in the women's boutique, where vintage furniture, chests of drawers, shelves, tables and bookcases display accessories, perfumes, home décor and ready-to-wear. The house mixes international references such as Dries Van Noten, Our Legacy, Ganni, Gil Rodriguez, Rachel Comey, Baserange and Auralee. Dover Street Market Los Angeles, the avant-garde of fashion Another Los Angeles institution, the Arts District's Dover Street Market opened for the first time in Los Angeles in late 2018, five years after the New York concept store opening. Deliberately located in an unfrequented part of the district, and on a single level, Dover Street Market Los Angeles set up shop at 608 Imperial Street in a former meat warehouse, with no windows visible from the outside. Today, Dover Street Market Los Angeles presents its favorite brands, including a large presence of luxury labels such as Prada, Jil Sander, Balenciaga, Miu Miu and Phoebe Philo, grouped in two spaces dedicated to men and women. The boutique is also home to 'Creative Spaces', brand spaces in the form of artistic installations, dedicated to Comme des Garçons collections and a temporary selection of designers, including Kiko Kostadinov, Wales Bonner, Sacaï, Doublet, Palace, and Maison Margiela. Collaborations are regularly showcased in various installations, such as the black aquarium currently encapsulating the Nike X Dover Street Market collection. There's also an area dedicated to jewelry, a Rose Bakery café with a terrace where visitors can enjoy a cake or a Chaï Latte, and an area dedicated to sneakers. Dover Street Market now has seven stores worldwide, in London, Tokyo, New York, Singapore, Beijing, Paris and Los Angeles. A store dedicated to beauty, Dover Street Parfums Market has also opened in Paris in 2019. Maxfield Los Angeles, a fashion icon in West Hollywood More than just a store, Maxfield has established itself as a fashion icon in Los Angeles. Founded by Tommy Perse in 1969 - initially under the name Maxfield Bleu - the multi-brand store, which quickly made a name for itself by dressing artists and musicians, set up shop in West Hollywood next door to The Troubadour club, unveiling stunning window displays with coffins and hanging mannequins, capturing the attention of customers. Maxfield was also the first to introduce European and Japanese brands such as Armani, Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto in the mid-70s. In 1985, Maxfield finally moved to 8825 Melrose Avenue in an all-concrete warehouse and unveiled its collections in an industrial art gallery atmosphere, adorned with three giant sculptures, replicas of the Mohai statues on Easter Island. Inside, the store's brutalist style has since showcased fashion collections from around a hundred houses, ranging from luxury brands such as Givenchy, Jil Sander, Rick Owens and Maison Margiela to Californian brands including Fear of God, and numerous jewelry, fragrance and accessory brands. Exclusive collaborations, including the latest between Adidas and American designer Willy Chavarria, are regularly presented. A special feature of Maxfield is the Jean Prouvé Nomad House at the entrance to the store. This building, imported directly from France, has since been used as a pop-up gallery, showcasing designers such as Maison Margiela, Amiri and Valentino, or for exceptional sales. The company has also opened Maxfield Bleu, a temporary space dedicated to sales of archival pieces or brand events, such as Nahmias, which presented its collaboration with artist Andrés Reisinger in 2024. A second Maxfield address is also located in the Malibu Country Mart shopping center in Malibu. Opened in 2009, this second space resides in a repurposed weathered-wood barn and focuses on beach essentials such as cashmere, sweatshirts, sneakers, swimwear alongside select ready-to-wear for men and women, footwear, bags and home objects. Departamento, the speakeasy fashion concept Founded in 2017 by Andrew Dryden and Joseph Quinones, multi-brand store Departamento began in Los Angeles as a private styling service for creatives circles and transitioned into a physical store in 2018. A reference point for all Los Angeles stylists and fashion collectors, they find here a selection of luxury labels with Loewe, Lemaire and Marni as regular brands and new emerging brands such as Enfants Riches Déprimés, Wales Bonner, Phipps and Edward Cuming. Housed in the backroom of the Maru coffee shop in the Arts District, their first store followed the idea of the speakeasy. Designed by Dryden, the space, now converted into an archive and entitled 'DPTO:annex', jutaxposed raw wood and steel piping with David Lynchian mirrored sections and plush 1950s motifs. In 2024, Departamento moved to the Signal Shops complex on Traction Avenue in the Arts District. Dryden and Quinones continued the speakeasy concept, this time moving into the back of the Concierge coffee shop. A mirrored corridor opens onto the new, larger Departamento concept, whose design was entirely steered by the 22RE agency and its founder Dean Devin. Influenced by deconstructivism, 22RE founder Dean Levin created a 4,000-square-foot space featured by a grid layout - reminiscent of a library or supermarket - that has been divided into distinct zones. 'As customers explore each corner of the store, they get a glimpse of the different vignettes and collections through strategically placed mirrors, adding an element of voyeuristic intrigue to their journey,' said Levin. 'The design encourages a moment of discovery.' The mix of metal, black wood, stainless steel and leather on the displays creates a futuristic, disconnected look. In addition to the usual brand collections, Departamento presents a space reminiscent of ryokan architecture, with collections by designer Taiga Takahashi. Another adjacent space is dedicated to fragrances and accessories. Bodega, streetwear best-kept secret Destination The Row, the Arts District shopping center, food market and former warehouse of the American Apparel brand, invested since 2017 by boutiques and restaurants. Founded in 2006, multi-brand store La Bodega is the brainchild of three Boston-based associates, Dan Natola, Oliver Mak and Jay Gordon. Together, they set up a speakeasy-like fashion gallery in Boston, closed in 2024, tucked behind a bodega façade, and combined fashion, art and sneakers. Twelve years later, the trio duplicated their idea in Los Angeles, taking over an 8,000-square-foot warehouse. Visitors step through the Exit door, past plastic sheeting and melon crates, and immerse themselves in a street market atmosphere with, on the first floor, a replica of a New York deli selling everything from hair curlers to Mac' n' Cheese and tomato cans. There's also a shop-in-shop area dedicated to brands - Vans has been there and Kapital is currently occupying the space - and even a piece of skatepark parquet. The first floor also features two wall sections dedicated to sneakers, with brands such as Salomon, Nike, Loci, Puma and On. A long staircase leads up to a chill mid-level lounge for books and community, which today houses the collections of Indonesian label Devastates and Canadian brand Estudio Niksen, two up-and-coming labels. An upper floor, regularly dedicated to fashion collections and accessories, is now being remodeled. The house previously presented a selection of brands ranging from Carhartt WIP to Lemaire, Stone Island, Homme Plissé, Maison Margiela and Helmut Lang, gathered around a lounge and ping-pong table. the underground elite The history of dates back to the early 1980s. Israeli-born Lorenzo Hadar moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s with his wife and opened his first boutique, La Mirage, in 1982, on Sunset Plaza, West Hollywood. Two years later, Hadar changed strategy and launched on Sunset Boulevard. The boutique quickly gained a reputation among Hollywood insiders, celebrities and fashion-conscious locals for its bold selection. Originally offering a mix of menswear and womenswear, the store quickly expanded with the addition of a women's boutique and a dedicated men's boutique, often described as a 'cage' due to its spectacular, sculptural architecture. Brands represented in both stores today include Acne Studios, Homme Plissé, Bode, Bottega Veneta, Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, Rick Owens, and Jean Paul Gaultier. Another address of the empire in Los Angeles, H-L-N-R on North Robertson Boulevard opened in 2008. A concept that was totally conceived from an eco-responsibility point of view, with solar panels, paperless systems and recycled materials, now houses both men's and women's collections. Today, the store is one of West Hollywood's iconic boutiques. Finally, following the launch of a now-closed store dedicated to sportswear in Beverly Hills, H. Lorenzo finally opened another space in Downtown LA in 2017, called Archive, in the Arts District. Located at 605 South Santa Fe Avenue, the 4,000-square-foot space showcases past-season pieces from high-end brands like Helmut Lang and Raf Simons. Just One Eye, the spirit of an art gallery In 2012, French-Italian Paola Russo, former artistic director of the Maxfield boutique, opened her first store in the 1927 Art Deco fortress belonging to airplane pilot, producer and director Howard Hughes. In 2019, the entrepreneur moved to Sycamore District, next door to Tartine Bakery, in a 13,000 square-foot-space. She will be followed by a number of fashion brands, including Officine Generale, Jacques Marie Mage and Nili Lotan. With no window display, the store can be discovered by pushing open the wide black metal door. Designed more as an art gallery than a traditional store, the space regularly showcases the work of famous artists, from John Chamberlain's compressions to fantastic works by Takashi Murakami, Gary Lang and Damien Hirst. The entire first floor, organized into multiple lounges, showcases the brands selected by Paola Russo. These include collections by Marine Serre, Prada, Proenza Schouler, The Row, Lemaire and Victoria Beckham, designer jewelry brands such as Nina Runsdorf, Azlée and Venyx, a selection of perfumes and beauty products, fine books, sculptures, furniture and home accessories. Two years ago, actor Brad Pritt presented his furniture brand, created in collaboration with designer Frank Pollaro. Just One Eye also features a hair salon, the Serrano Salon. With its private outdoor access, the space welcomes many celebrities for a last-minute blow-dry or a stylish cut. The Webster, style and selected Frenchwoman Laure Hériard Dubreuil, originally from Cognac, France, founded The Webster in 2009. Initially presented as a pop-up, her concept store opens on Collins Avenue in a sublime Art Deco building, originally built as the Webster Hotel in 1939. A former merchandiser at Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent, Dubreuil founded the brand with the idea of offering a high curation of labels including luxury brands like Gucci, Chloé, Burberry, Loewe, Acne Studios, and emerging designers like Rhude. 'Our approach is to present looks that often combine different brands,' Dubreuil explained in an interview with "We don't have sections dedicated to individual brands, except in the case of single-brand events. This approach is an essential element of our success, as is the décor of our stores, which allows for unique shopping experiences." Opening in 2020, the Los Angeles store opened within the Beverly Grove shopping mall. Tanzanian-British architect Sir David Adjaye, known for his work on the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and more recently on the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, has designed the décor. He turned it into a cathedral-like building, with imposing pink columns - pink is The Webster's signature color - and a music installation by artist Khalil Joseph on the walls of the outer dome. Over the years, The Webster has grown to operate around 13 boutiques across the U.S and Canada, including key locations in New York City, Houston, South Beach and Bal Harbour in Miami. In California, The Webster is also present in Palm Springs and Costa Mesa within the luxury mall South Coast Plaza. The most recent openings have been in Las Vegas and Austin, with plans to open a store in Dallas in the pipeline. Teller, feminine eye for singular pieces This women's multi-brand store opened in 2021 at the Platform shopping center in Culver City. Founded by Jaime Fishbein, wife of David Fishbein, the co-founder of Platform, Teller is an 'ode to the women of our city," showcasing some sixty independent and international apparel labels positioned as 'advanced contemporary brands,' like Proenza Schouler, Anine Bing, Staud, By Malene Birger and Mattau, completed by a number of accessories and jewelry brands including MM Druck, Oliver Peoples and Bembien bags. According to the brand, "the Teller wardrobe is equal parts color-forward and grounded in colors." Teller has also launched its own eponymous brand, which today offers mainly basics, including a line of T-shirts. Inspired by 1930s Mexico City, Mike Moser Studio imagines an interior featuring curved alcoves, troweled plaster walls, pistachio concrete floors and displays covered by tiles and mosaics. The ceiling features a sculptural chandelier designed by Greg Lynn in fiberglass. In January, Teller added a second store in Montecino, in the Santa Barbara area. At The Montecito Post shopping center, the Teller brand presents the same selection as in Los Angeles, with a few exclusive brands including Tove, Anna October, Simkhai and Olympia Le Tan. The Optimist, co-founded by David Fishbein and Joseph Miller, co-founders of Platform, is just a few steps from the Teller store. Teller's men's has been designed by interior architect Jeremiah Brent, and invites into a chic apartment space, covered in contemporary and vintage furniture, where some 50 brands are presented, with a focus on European and Scandinavian brands. These include AMI, Samsoe Samsoe, and Les Deux. For some years now, The Optimist has also been presenting its own brand, Lemain. The clothing brand focuses on elevated essentials with an emphasis on 'naturalness in everyday life and comfortable essentials' and includes pants, T-shirt, camp shirt, jackets and sweaters. Goop, dressed to heal In 2008, Gwyneth Paltrow created Goop, a weekly wellness and lifestyle newsletter written by the actress, sharing tips on clean living, beauty, fashion and travels. A few years later, Goop launched its own skincare, apparel and supplement lines in e-commerce. Physical poop-ups followed, notably in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. It wasn't until May 2017 that the first Goop store opened in Brentwood Country Mart in Los Angeles. For this premiere, Paltrow called on renowned interior design duo Roman and Williams, the NYC firm also known for designing Ace Hotels. Designed to feel like a beautifully styled home, the store invites customers to experience 'the lifestyle according to Goop' and blends fashion, clean beauty, wellness products, and kitchenware. On the fashion side, Goop showcases a curated selection of fashion-forward labels including Toteme, Rosie Assoulin, Proenza Schouler White Label, Dôen and Heirlome. Added to this is Goop's in-house collection with its G. Label by Goop. Launched in 2016, this line offers elevated essentials 'designed to be luxurious, minimalist, and versatile,' including blazers, blouses, cashmere knits and minimalist dresses. The Goop brand has since spread to several cities in the United States, including New York at 25 Bond Street in 2018 and the Hamptons at Sag Harbor, Montecito inside the Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel and Larkspur in California. There is also another location in Hawaii, where in 2020 the brand opened a permanent store inside the Mauna Lani, an Auberge Resorts Collection Hotel. Mameg, outside the lines This confidential multi-brand store, founded by Sonia Eram in the late 90s, was long located next door to the Martin Margiela store in Beverly Hills, now relocated at Melrose Place. After a forced relocation, the store found refuge in designer Sonia Boyajian's jewelry studio-boutique with its splendid Art Deco architecture. In September 2024, Eram announces its official arrival to Camden Drive, just opposite the famous Gagosian Gallery, at 417 N Camden Drive. The boutique moved into a Victorian brick building reminiscent of London's finest districts, all designed by Johnston Marklee. Mameg has taken elements of the old décor, such as this zigzag table, and added designer furniture. The boutique offers fashion items by Loewe, Marni, Walter Van Beirendonck, Balenciaga and Y- Project. Given Eram's passion for art, the new Mameg boutique opens onto a courtyard adorned with baobabs and a work of art entitled 'Laokoon' by artist Per Kirkeby. A monumental work in patinated bronze, worth several million dollars, installed by Michael Werner Gallery. As in its previous spaces, the Mameg boutique this time shares its space with Michael Werner Gallery. The German gallery owner opened his doors in Berlin in the early 60s and now has galleries in New York, London and Athens. Specializing in modern masters such as Hans Arp and Francis Picabia, the gallery also represents many highly talented European artists, including Enrico David, Per Kirkeby and German painter Florian Krewer. Des Kohan, confidential and lifestyle curation Having begun her career as a trendsetter for luxury brands such as Prada, Miu Miu and Gucci, Desiree Kohan has forged a reputation as a discoverer of emerging talent and unique fashion sources. After living in Europe for several years, she returned to Los Angeles in 2005 and opened her first boutique, Des Kohan on Miracle Mile. A boutique inspired by her global esthetic, marrying European sophistication with adventurous, one-of-a-kind design and housed in a 1920s warehouse on Cloverdale Avenue. In 2021, the Des Kohan boutique moves to West Hollywood location on Fairfax Avenue. Housed in a Mid-Century brick building, Des Kohan's gallery-like setting is composed of a minimalistic but warm architectural style that is accented with one-of-a-kind vintage furniture and objects entirely designed by Kohan herself to provide more than a mere retail destination. The inviting space features a tea bar and multiple sitting areas. The notable vintage pieces include Frank Lloyd Wright original plywood chairs from the 40'S, an Angelo Mangiarotti travertine coffee table, a vintage Roche Bobois table, and original Thonet wood cane chairs. In this 5,000-square-foot gallery-like space, Kohan presents the collections of ready-to-wear brands amidst paintings and works of art hanging on the walls. Regularly featured brands include Damir Doma, Helmut Lang, JW Anderson, Khaite and Róhe. The Stronghold, built to last Founded in 1895, The Stronghold was Los Angeles' first branded clothing manufacturer, specializing in denim and canvas workwear for men, women and children. According to the brand, it became the largest clothing manufacturer in Southern California by 1912, employing 1,000 people in downtown Los Angeles. Adored by Angelenos, the brand was featured in early Hollywood films - Charlie Chaplin wore its bib overalls in "Modern Times" and Henry Fonda wore Stronghold denim in "The Grapes of Wrath". After going bankrupt in the late 1940s, the Stronghold brand was resurrected by Michael Cassell in 2004, who discovered a pair of vintage Stronghold jeans in an abandoned mine and decided to relaunch the brand with authentic, archive-based designs and production in Los Angeles, using original materials and methods. The Stronghold boutique openned at 1625 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, filled with vintage tailor tables, antique sewing machines and custom cabinetry. The racks feature The Stronghold's own collection of raw denim, chambray shirts, canvas coats and chore jackets, overalls and engineer's pants. The Stronghold also carries various heritage brands as handmade shoes and boots by Alden, shirts by Gitman Vintage, outdoor gear and bags by Filson, leather jackets by Lewis Leathers, and socks by Fox River.
