There's Gold in Cuteness: Cute-Culture Label Loyal Army Is on the Move
KAWAII! In Japanese, the word “kawaii” is translated as cute. Loyal Army graphics on T-shirts above, are inspired by Japanese Kawaii fashion.
Cute is more than swell cartoons and adorable animals for the folks at San Francisco–based fashion label Loyal Army Clothing. It’s good business. On June 18, Loyal Army held a party celebrating the first in what will be a fleet of stores devoted to their Japanese-inspired cute graphics of clouds with happy faces and fast-food meals bearing smiles reminiscent of doodles penned on a junior high school notebook.
The June 18 party was held at its Los Angeles store, located at 7970 ½ Melrose Ave., a block away from Fred Segal Melrose. The Loyal Army boutique is in close proximity to two other Melrose-located, cartoon-based and Japanese fashion shops, Kid Robot and Bathing Ape.
On July 1, Loyal Army also will open a store in Walnut Creek, Calif., and is considering opening two more stores. The label, which is devoted to cute, opened its first store on the Labor Day weekend in 2008 in San Francisco’s Haight Street.
Store Operations Manager Paul Gigliotti said Loyal Army aspires to be a lifestyle brand with fashions for everyone from grandma to newborn infants. For its summer 2009 collection, the label offers mostly juniors T-shirts and hoodies. However, it also offers men’s T-shirts and hoodies, onesies for infants, styles for dogs and some accessories. Price points range from $19.50 for T-shirts to $55 for a bag.
CUTIES: Loyal Army Store Operations Manager Paul Gigliotti and Associate Sesigner Sharon McPeake at the debut of their Melrose Avenue store.
