Johnny Was
The New Mart Suite 1011 (213) 629-1717
For nearly 13 years, the Johnny Was showroom in the California Market Center was renowned for its Moorish-style deacute;cor with colorful hand-painted floors and Moroccan windows.
But in March, the womenswear company, known for its ornately embroidered offerings, moved across the street to The New Mart, where white is the only color on the walls and the bare concrete floors are gray.
The contemporary-clothing company, founded in 1987 by Eli and Hinga Levite and named after an old Bob Marley song, made the jump across the street because it believed its stable of eight labels would be more at home at The New Mart, whose intimate building has an artist-loft ambience.
“We felt we belonged here,” said Javier Siordia, the main Johnny Was representative for the West Coast, who has been with the company for three years.
But the walls and floors may soon get a makeover. The company has hired interior designer Ayelet Elian Cohen to add some spice to the showroom’s bare bones.
Meanwhile, the 2,700-square-foot showroom is grouped into viewing areas for the eight labels, which range from the original Johnny Was collection to Pete & Greta.“My strongest label is the Johnny Was collection,” Siordia said. “It hasn’t suffered, even with the way the economy has been.”
Johnny Was uses primarily rayon and silk to create a whimsical, feminine look for tops that rely on colorful embroidery to make them fun. Wholesale prices range from $65 to $145.
Pete & Greta, one of the company’s newer labels, has a flirty European look with light fabrics such as silk for blouses, jackets and dresses. Prices range from $75 to $165.
On the higher end of the realm, the company’s BIYA label offers luxurious embroidered coats, jackets and dresses that wholesale for $140 to $430. They are designed by Biya Ranier.
Other labels in the showroom are 2Ten, a collection of soft jersey T-shirts, tunics and dresses adorned with stones and sequins; JWLA, which is mostly T-shirts; For Love or Liberty, a younger line of T-shirts influenced by streetwear; Whitley, a retro-inspired contemporary label; and 3J Workshop, a collection of menswear-inspired shirts and tunics for men and women. —Deborah Belgum
