Suuml;nde
Cooper BuildingSuite 321(213) 629-1520
Suuml;nde’s showroom featuring its timeless collection of contemporary clothing for women is making a name for itself on the West Coast as a practical fashion destination in the Cooper Building at 860 S. Los Angeles St. in downtown Los Angeles. The 1,200-square-foot space features ’50s-era furniture designed by Eero Saarinen, which lends a retro feel, and a curved partition adds a modernist feel. Founder and designer Iris Lee, who creates the collection with co-designer Robert Garlipp, said combing her design studio and showroom space has its perks—buyers enjoy meeting the designers and also get an early preview of designs in the works.
Lee’s vision for her showroom is reminiscent of fashion houses that have salons for their collections and design rooms for creating them. “We don’t have a multi-level fashion house, but the concept is there,” said Lee. “Showing our line in the space where we create it gives our company its own individual personality.”
Embellished boy shirts made with Egyptian cotton ($46 wholesale), knit tops with twill tape and lace embellishments (wholesale prices start at $35), reversible skirts made with European nylon blends and stretch cotton (wholesale price points start at $98), mid-waist wide-leg linen pants (wholesale price points start at $69) and stretch pants with leather insets ($98 wholesale) give the collection a modern yet cutting-edge feel. The line is currently sold at specialty retailers, including Oou in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles, Dress in San Francisco and LaMer in Coronado, Calif. —Claudia Figueroa
