Coco Kliks
The couch is pink. The walls are lavender. The ceilings are very high.
The space is perfect for Coco Kliks, a young designer who was looking for a location where she could combine the artistic nature of her design studio with the practical side of a showroom.
“We really want this space to be creative, where the buyer can look at the collection and see what the process is to create clothes,” said Laurent Nahoum-Vatinet, Kliks’ business partner. “We can follow the life of Coco’s creations, from inception to raising them and seeing them walk out the door as they take on their own life.”
In the 2,500-square-foot space, tall panels separate the front end from the back, where Kliks designs her unique garments, which wholesale from $100 for shirts and tops to $300 for dresses.
Kliks, a graduate of the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, began designing one-of-a-kind T-shirts three years ago that were hand-stitched and embellished, embroidered or appliqueacute;d. She later branched out to include a full line. Her first collection hit the catwalk at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in April 2004.
It was her time in Paris, working in the design studio of Torrente Haute Couture, that made her love the idea of combining an atelier with a showroom.
The Coco Kliks showroom, located on the sixth floor of the Cooper Design Space, was recently vacated by the design department of Bebe Stores Inc., which moved to new offices on Olympic Boulevard in the Century City area of Los Angeles.
Several other showrooms will be taking shape on the sixth floor, said Mona Sangkala, leasing director for the building. Once the floor is renovated, it will look much like the second and third floors, which boast creative showrooms, she said.
—Deborah Belgum
