Komarov Showroom
Gerry Building, Suite 807 (213) 488-9900
Designer Shelley Komarov started her dress company in 1997 and always relied on multiline showrooms to represent her collection of contemporary wear, made entirely in Los Angeles.
But in early January, she and her son, Dimitri Komarov, president of Komarov Enterprises Inc., decided it was time to fly solo with their own space. So they scouted the showroom buildings around the Los Angeles Fashion District and settled on the clean looks found in the Gerry Building. They liked the no-frills spaces, which have streamlined deacute;cor, exposed ceilings and concrete floors.
With that in mind, the Komarov showroom is very simple. Dimitri’s wife, Krislyn, did much of the interior design. Dimitri converted thick wooden book shelves into table tops placed on white plastic library tables. A white couch covered in gathered Tyvek fabric is the only bit of plush furniture around.
The full collection of dresses, tops and pants hangs on white metal rolling racks or is displayed on white metal bars on the showroom wall. “We got tons of compliments from the buyers when they saw the showroom,” said Grace Castillo, the company’s sales manager. “They feel it is airy and bright, and they can focus on the line when they come in.”
White mannequins that display some of the line’s collection break up the white space. Hanging on the wall is framed pleated pattern paper used to make the line’s trademark dresses, which often have two to three different pleated patterns in them. “What we do is so complicated that I wanted a showroom with a simple background,” said Shelley, a Hollywood costume designer for 20 years before starting her own line, which is carried in department stores such as Nordstrom and Von Maur, as well as specialty stores such as George Cibaud Boutique in Beverly Hills and Trance in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Castillo said that since the showroom opened early this year, sales have tripled. She feels that buyers are more concentrated on seeing just one line in one showroom, which results in orders for the dresses, which wholesale from $109 to $250.
The showroom also will be a good place to debut the company’s new line of jersey knit dresses, wholesaling for $80 under a new label called Alex and Ava. The more modest price point line is out for Spring 2012.—Deborah Belgum
