Built by Wendy Comes to California
The elements of the Built by Wendy label seem to describe the quintessential California designer. The cut of the clothes is casual, the colors are light and cheery, and many of the design inspirations stem from 1970s pop culture and rock ’n’ roll. But Built by Wendy founder Wendy Mullin didn’t grow up in California. She is a New Yorker.
In April, however, she put down retail roots in Los Angeles. Mullin opened an 800-square-foot Built by Wendy store on the 7900 block of Los Angeles’ burgeoning West Third Street boutique district.
Mullin already runs two stores in New York. She said she felt comfortable opening a Los Angeles store because a significant number of her Web site customers for men’s and women’s clothes are from Southern California.
She designed a store that would make them feel right at home. The walls, painted a sunny light blue and white, feature art homages to the Laurel Canyon hippie aesthetic that also influences Wrangler 47, the line of Wrangler jeans that Mullin designs ($135 per pair). Price points for Built by Wendy pieces range from $35 for T-shirts bearing such 1970s pop-culture icons as Kristy McNichol to $203 for bolero jackets.
Even when Mullin isn’t conscious of it, she seems to channel California in her fashions.
“The inspiration for the Built by Wendy line was sort of preppy–meets–Japanese and French classic fabric patterns,” Mullin said. “It has a bit of a beachy vibe.”
Mullin said she had no plans to open other stores. —Andrew Asch
