Crush Boutique Parties in Malibu
Is Malibu a haven for clothes with a conservative cut? Not if Crush Boutique is throwing the party.
More than 16 of Los Angeles’ young hot designers trekked up Pacific Coast Highway for Crush’s holiday party to show their wares and nibble on sushi.
The crowd included designers Marco Morante of MarcoMarco, women’s sportswear creator Brian Lichtenberg and Sterling Capricio of Sterling Capricio Studio.
Rock ’n’ roll was on the minds of many designers. Miniskirts by Kiki Stash Renegade Designs, inspired by 1960s mod London, were featured, and Pink Feathers’ Asha Sissoko Mines showed a tank top inspired by Blondie’s wild singer, Debbie Harry.
Daring and progressive are two words that describe Crush. Open for 18 months at 3835 Cross Creek Rd., #19, Crush co-owners and husband-and-wife team Phyllis Reffo and Charles Weinberger gambled that beachloving Malibu would warm to Los Angeles’ urban designs. Their 650-square-foot store has been selling handbags by Alison Burns and Em La La, Lotta dresses, Bianca Branaman’s casualwear and Morphine’s T-shirts, among other cutting-edge designs.
Morante is thankful retailers like Crush take a chance. “One thousand people are designing clothes here, and they’re all staying afloat because small boutiques are willing to carry them,” the MarcoMarco designer said. —Andrew Asch
