No Brands Here
The magic of a brand name often drives people to boutique cash registers. But others are interested more in style and less in names, according to Margaret Dietl, co-owner of the popular outlet boutique DNA Clothing, based in Los Angeles’ Venice Beach neighborhood.
“Customers are not looking at brands,” Dietl said. “They’re looking at style, body and colors.”
Dietl and her husband, Alan Schniderman, sell off-price clothing with a California flair. They find style is becoming more important than price at their store, which has been a fixture in Venice Beach since 1995. “You can’t give it away if it’s just cheap,” Dietl said. “People are buying style. Price comes second.”
Dietl and Schniderman chart trends by shopping trade shows, such as Fashion Coterie, Designers & Agents and the Project Global Trade Show. Their concept of selling value and style has been a good business for them.
A second DNA Clothing was opened at 7519 Sunset Blvd. on Thanksgiving Day 2004. The store sells to a customer base of more than 10,000 people, Dietl said.
While no one brand dominates the sales of DNA, located a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean, Dietl said that the baby-doll dress has been gaining a lot of attention.
The most popular colors for these dresses have been white and green. One of DNA’s leading labels for baby-doll dresses, Miss Me, based in Los Angeles, wholesales its empire-waisted baby doll for $42.
The increasing interest in the baby-doll dress might be a reaction to the still-dominant trend of denim, according to Dietl. “Before, it was all about the belly and low-rise looks,” she said. “Now, it’s all about the leg.” The dress is specifically a good choice for those who want to match a dress with leggings.
The DNA shop owner also predicts that sweaters might be the “it” thing for Fall 2007, especially if they are made of thin material and have longer silhouettes. —Andrew Asch
