Liza Stewart Showroom
California Market Center Suite C551 (213) 622-9669 www.lizastewart.com
The running joke at the Liza Stewart Showroom is that Lulu, a tiny white 18-month-old Maltese dog, is the business’s official greeter. The dog greets showroom visitors as though they were family coming home after a day’s work. It’s fitting for company owner Liza Stewart, who is quite at home—she has been working in showrooms since she was 13.
Stewart first worked as a sales manager from 1992 to 1996 at her father’s showroom, Marshall Stewart & Associates in Chicago. The showroom was famous for its real estate: It took up two stories. It was also highly regarded for its designer lines, including Halston and Norma Kamali.
Stewart confessed that she has never wanted another career. “It never gets old. There’s always something new to learn,” she said. “There’s so much talent and creativity in this business.”
She moved west and opened a showroom in the California Market Center (then called the CaliforniaMart) in 1997 because she wanted to start her own business. Her Los Angeles showroom is 2,000 square feet, and she also maintains a 1,000-square-foot showroom in Dallas. Both venues focus on contemporary sportswear.
She currently represents eight lines, including New York–based Walter, which she picked up this year. Wholesale price points for Walter’s tops and jackets are $45 to $190. The label’s crushed-velvet camisole top with sequins and satin spaghetti straps wholesales for $75.
Other lines include: Cynthia Steffe, whose Holiday collection with gold Lurex and jewel beading is inspired by Russian vintage clothes ($69 to $199), and BluJeanious, which offers 80 percent stretch denim that often features stud embellishments ($56 to $97). There are English labels such as Nougat London, whose vintage knit–inspired clothes range from $40 to $130, and Nigel Hamill, which makes Mongolian cashmere sweaters ($110 to $140). There are stretch tops from Los Angeles label Mezon ($74 to $130), Tamara Catz’s Maui-inspired resortwear ($40 to $100) and Carilyn Vaile’s stretch knit essentials ($34 to $74).
—Andrew Asch
