Fremont: Retro Casual
The retro chic look of Fremont has a fresh take on casual. The new contemporary line recaptures the lifestyle resort look of Palm Springs in the late 1960s and early 1970s and adds a kitschy Las Vegas edge. Los Angeles–based co-owners Brittany Pham and Devin Carlson collaborate with stylist-designer Jessica Loria to design their line of women’s and men’s clothing.
Collaborating is easy for the Echo Park–based trio, who share similar taste and design styles. “All of us are really big on vintage pieces and the way a lot of things used to be back in the day,” Loria said.
“We’re condoning this lifestyle where you put on one of these cute little dresses to water the lawn or go to the market,” Pham quipped.
The line is reminiscent of vintage Americana and is meant to be casual everyday wear that can be dressed up or down. Since its debut at the Pool Trade Show in Las Vegas in August, the line has booked more than 40 stores for Spring, including Lisa Kline, Fred Segal-Melrose and Steinberg & Sons in the Los Angeles area, Erica Bee in Corona del Mar, Calif., and Patricia Fields in New York.
Pham is no stranger to the apparel industry. Her parents both work in manufacturing, and her boyfriend, Sam Shipley, is co-owner of Trovata. Pham said “it’s definitely a plus” to have the advice and support of Shipley, whose line received the Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund Award and was nominated for the Moss Adams Innovator Award at the recent Los Angeles Fashion Awards.
Fremont currently consists of 70 percent women’s and 30 percent men’s styles. Wholesale prices are $21–$54 for tops and $46–$72 for skirts, shorts, jumpsuits and dresses. Modern fabrications in a retro palette give a vintage look to washed polyester/cotton jersey T-shirts, short jumpsuits and dresses, floral- print cotton eyelet strapless dresses and tops, and cotton chambray cropped jackets and jumpsuits. Cuffed shorts and a linen overall jumpsuit are decorated with vintage buttons, and a ’70s-style keyhole-back dress features a happy rainbow and bird-screen print.
Styles such as a polyester/cotton jersey tank are unisex and sport vintage-inspired contrasting trim. For men, the line updates polos and Henleys with slim cuts and vintage washed jersey. T-shirts have a modern look, decorated with simple line drawings inspired by Las Vegas motifs and art and architecture from the late ’60s and early ’70s. Other styles include woven Western-style, short-sleeve shirts in solids and floral prints, and slim-fit, knee-length shorts made with elastic waistbands and striped suiting fabrications.
For more information, contact The Great Room in the Cooper Design Space, Suite 321, at (213) 629-0484. —N. Jayne Seward
