Defiance's Fashion Lab
For the past three years, Defiance USA’s creative director, Christopher Wicks, wholesaled his English Laundry and Fender labels to retailers such as Nordstrom, Macy’s and Dillard’s. On Oct. 26, the labels got something of their own billboard when Wicks opened a 5,000-square-foot retail boutique on Los Angeles’ Melrose Avenue.
“I’m not thinking of this as a profit base,” said Wicks, who was born in Manchester, England. Instead, the boutique will be a place where he can observe what customers like and dislike about his labels before he sends products to retailers. The first experiment was the debut of the English Laundry denim line at the store on Oct. 26. The new denim line is scheduled to be offered at other retailers in spring 2007.
Yet this retail venture might not remain a solitary one forever. Wicks said the store has the potential to grow into a chain of boutiques, provided that he finds the right retail partner. In the meantime, his customers have a variety of Wicks’ brands to choose from in the currently open boutique.
The retail space is split between mini boutiques English Laundry by Christopher Wicks and Rock & Roll Religion Featuring Fender. The Rock & Roll Religion boutique also devotes space to Wicks’ other labels, including Jimi Hendrix Experience and Da Vinci.
Rock music is more than a passing fancy at the boutique. Walls are covered with the rock photography of Karl Larsen, who has shot for Rolling Stone magazine. The back of the store devotes a boutique space to Fender guitars and amplifiers. The store’s Fender sales manager, Bobby Texas, also offers guitar lessons at the store. “On weekends, the store becomes a rock ’n’ roll party,” Wicks said. —Andrew Asch
