G-Star Opens Los Angeles Store
Another heavy-hitting denim company has joined Los Angeles’ crowded jeans market. Netherlands-based G-Star International opened a 2,350-square-foot boutique on Oct. 1 in the city’s Melrose Heights neighborhood, a hot spot for high-end specialty stores such as Fred Segal Melrose, Miu Miu and Betsey Johnson.
The opening will spearhead an American expansion, said Laurens Leeuwis, the company’s retail manager. G-Star International opened a boutique in New York’s SoHo district on July 19, and G-Star will spend the next six months testing the strengths and weaknesses of the New York and Los Angeles stores. The company will then consider launching stores in San Francisco, San Diego, Boston and Atlanta.
Like the 16 other G-Star stores spread across the world—from Paris to Australia—the Los Angeles shop is decorated with a spare, industrial design that showcases the company’s popular brands, including G-Star Raw denim, with price points ranging from $120 to $190, and Handcrafted jeans, which retail for $350 a pair. Also offered are knitwear, jackets and accessories such as bags and belts. Veteran denim designer Pierre Morrisette specializes in a utilitarian and military style, said Matt Cabral, the company’s West Coast account manager.
The Dutch company franchised the store to American entrepreneur Jason Farrell, who in 1997 opened contemporary store Bastille, which does business at locations in Salt Lake City and Tucson, Ariz.
G-Star is sold by more than 10 retailers in the Los Angeles area, including Fred Segal Santa Monica and Fred Segal Melrose, American Rag, Bloomingdale’s, and Nordstrom.
Gary Friedman, owner of Studio City, Calif.–based Dungarees, said the Dutch company’s concept store will not hurt his sales.
“It won’t affect stores in the Valley,” Friedman said. “The store will give the name more exposure and make people more aware of this great new line that comes out of Amsterdam. Brand-name recognition is very important.”
—Andrew Asch
