California Apparel News

Downtown Los Angeles has offered promise and some deep headaches for fashion retailers looking to ride the wave of an anticipated residential boom in Los Angeles’ urban core. This week, the downtown neighborhood of Fourth and Spring streets showed signs of promise for new retailers.

Los Angeles–based fashion label Skingraft opened a 1,800-square-foot boutique and company headquarters at 125 W. Fourth St., suite 102, on April 29. Skingraft took over a lease from the former tenant, a furniture-design studio. The fashion label’s rent hovers around $1.50 per square-foot, according to Skingraft co-founder Jonny Cota. “The rental market is in our favor,” he said.

The space will provide a headquarters for Skingraft’s fetish-inspired fashions and shoulder-holster-shaped accessories. Rock ’n’ roll–inspired menswear label Elmer Ave. also will run a boutique/label design headquarters in the retail/design space, which is decorated with magnificent-looking hunting trophies.

A few storefronts down from Skingraft, entrepreneurs Brett Westfall and Tak Kato plan to open fashion boutique M’ouments at 125 W. Fourth St., suite 106. The unconventional space is designed to look like a subway station. It is scheduled to open in late May.

Westfall and Kato ran the Comme des Garçons Guerrilla Store +1 213 in the space. (The guerrilla store only was supposed to last one year. Westfall’s contract with the celebrated Japanese label concluded in February.) Westfall intends to sell some Comme des Garçons product in his new store.

Fremont, another fashion label, is one of the relative veterans on the block. It opened a headquarters and boutique February 2008 at 120 W. Fourth St. It is located across the street from Skingraft. Fremont has been sold at high-profile retailers such as Opening Ceremony.

DOWNTOWN PIONEERS: Skingraft opened a boutique and label headquarters April 29 in downtown Los Angeles. From left Skingraft’s Jonny Cota, Katie Kay and Cassidy Haley.