Paul Frank Fetes Store, Collaborations
Starting Nov. 17, Paul Frank Industries will celebrate the opening of its new Melrose Avenue store in Los Angeles with a three-day party complete with band performances and limited-edition offerings.
The Costa Mesa, Calif.–based manufacturer and retailer, which is known for its quirky designs and genre-transcending collaborations, will give collectors the opportunity to purchase Barbie dolls from its 2004 collaboration with Mattel. At the time, the bulk of the Paul Frank/Barbie dolls were offered wearing blue Julius the Monkey pajamas. Only 500 of the dolls wore red pajamas and were never sold to the public. These rare dolls will emerge from Paul Frank’s vault on Friday.
Shoppers at the store on Nov. 19 will get the opportunity to meet the brand’s design team and learn how to silk-screen a Julius & Friends or Small Paul T-shirt.
The new 2,200-square-foot store opened in August. Paul Frank Industries had maintained a store on Third Street in Los Angeles for five years before outgrowing the space. The Melrose Avenue store has room for a gallery space for the brand’s collaborative artists. Right now, a mural by artist and former collaborator Thomas Campbell adorns the space.
The Melrose Avenue location was tempting to the brand because of the area’s recent influx of high-end and specialty retailers. “With stores like Fred Segal, Marc Jacobs, G Star, Kid Robot and Maxfield all here, it felt like the perfect complement of new neighbors,” said Ryan Heuser, president and co-founder of Paul Frank.
The brand has been on a roll. Next month, Paul Frank will begin shipping T-shirts, hoodies, pajamas and accessories for its twoseason collaboration with iconic toy maker Lego. The Lego collaboration debuts for Spring 2007 and spans the brand’s three product lines, Paul Frank, Julius & Friends and Small Paul—a first for the company. The line will retail in the company’s 15 stores as well as some specialty retailers.
In November, Paul Frank and surfboard manufacturer Cregrave;me collaborated on 50 longboard surfboards.
Painted in Paul Frank’s trademark colors of orange, brown, yellow and green, the boards were debuted at the Huntington Beach Art Center on Nov. 7. Each limited-edition Cregrave;me & Paul Frank board is accompanied by a oneof- a-kind travel bag, wallet and certificate of authenticity.
Finally, Paul Frank hopes to collaborate with its customers for a philanthropic cause this winter. From Nov. 24 to Dec. 9, the company’s retail stores will host “The Paul Frank Coat Exchange.” The program encourages consumers to donate a lightly worn winter coat or jacket at one of its stores in exchange for 20 percent off a new Paul Frank, Julius & Friends or Small Paul coat or jacket. The donated garments will go to seven charities across the country. The company has pledged to supplement its customers’ donations with new winter items from its stockrooms.
The company’s dispute with ousted cofounder Paul Frank Sunich is still ongoing. Representatives for PFI and for Sunich declined to discuss the dispute’s progress. —Erin Barajas
