Saja Moves to N.Y.C.
Six years after launching in Los Angeles, contemporary brand Saja has announced it will move its corporate headquarters to New York. The line, known for its feminine dresses and rich embellishments, is designed by owner Yoo Lee.
“We are so sad to leave. L.A. has given us our base and has been our home for nearly seven years and we don’t want to lose that,” Lee said, but she added that moving to the East Coast has been on her mind for the past three years.
Los Angeles has inspired much of Saja’s design direction, Lee said. “The eclectic dressing, the lightness of the city and the colors all come out in Saja,” she said, and she expects Saja’s new home to be equally influential in the line’s aesthetic. “Our four seasons will become more defined. I’m going to add leather and cashmere. We’re going to grow up a little bit and become more of a complete collection,” Lee said. Saja’s trademark dresses will also get a revamping. Because her line has become a resource of alternative bridesmaids dresses, Lee will dedicate 50 percent of her line to more formal frocks.
In February, Saja opened its first flagship store in the Nolita neighborhood of Manhattan. Now, its headquarters and New York showroom will share a 3,400-square-foot space at 250 W. 39th St., suite 1601. The company will retain its Los Angeles showroom at the Cooper Design Space, suite 632.
Lee plans to stage a Saja fashion show during New York Fashion Week for the Spring 2008 season. —Erin Barajas
