California Apparel News

Los Angeles label Anzevino and Florence has racked up a string of successes in the past seven years. However, the avant-garde label has become a casualty of a rough economy.

The label’s store, located at 8040 W. Third St. in Los Angeles, closed Dec. 31, said Richard Florence, co-founder of Anzevino and Florence. He also confirmed that he and his business/design partner, William Anzevino, had shut their label down.

During a brief Jan. 6 interview, Florence said his plans for the future were not solid. “I think I’ll move on to other things,” he said.

The store’s closing on stylish West Third Street sounds a sour note to a busy year for Anzevino and Florence. In May the label debuted a T-shirt line called “I Hate Fashion” and women’s affordable line “Laugh, Cry, Repeat,” which included pieces such as a satin jumper and a petal dress for $20 to $68 wholesale.

Anzevino and Florence started in 2002 as a T-shirt line and took inspiration from pop artist Andy Warhol for its designs. By 2005, their design reputations were cresting. They collaborated with the Pittsburgh-based Andy Warhol Museum to design T-shirts inspired by Warhol’s films. In 2006, they were honored with a “Fresh Faces in Fashion” award by design and culture group Gen Art. During the next few years, they sold their designs in some of California’s leading fashion retailers, including Opening Ceremony, American Rag, Saks Fifth Avenue and Henri Bendel.

The closing of the Anzevino and Florence store is also the latest chapter in a rough year for West Third Street, whose fashion boutiques are devoted to independent and emerging designers. More than 21 fashion stores shuttered in 2009, and more than nine fashion boutiques opened during the same time period, according to Debra Wolsh, owner of Ethel, a leading retailer on the street. “They were a cool addition to the street,” Wolsh said of Anzevino and Florence. “But I’m optimistic. It is a rough time, but the stores which West Third Street is best known for are still open.”—Andrew Asch