California Apparel News

Pictured above: Martin Caverly, chief executive officer EVOQ Properties; Brian Currey, deputy mayor, office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, city of Los Angeles; Jonathan Saven, president Splendid and Ella Moss; Councilmember Jose Huizar, 14th district, city of Los Angeles.

Splendid and Ella Moss officially opened their new corporate headquarters on June 6 at the Alameda Square facilities in downtown Los Angeles. The 82,000-square-foot office space has warm, natural lighting and sweeping views of downtown’s cityscape.

The fashion apparel brand occupies the third and fourth level of the historic Alameda Square, with access to the rooftop and other amenities in the 1.4 million-square-foot commercial complex. Originally built in 1917, Alameda Square was redeveloped to meet contemporary lifestyle companies’ needs. Los Angeles fashion brands such American Apparel and Groceries Apparel are already housed at the complex.

Martin Caverly, chief executive officer of EVOQ Properties Inc., owner of Alameda Square, said Splendid and Ella Moss wanted a true creative space with state-of-the-art conference centers, work stations, a gym and a photo studio. Architectural firm RAPT Studio helped in the design process. Campus renovations included the addition of the 6,000-square-foot roof deck with kitchen for catering purposes, upgraded electrical service, executive parking in the basement (specifically for Building 1), new landscaping and space for food trucks. EVOQ spent eight months making the multi-million-dollar improvements. To preserve the historic look, they retained the building’s exposed windows, cement flooring and columns.

Additionally, some of the offices are named after colors of the company’s style choices in its products, adding a touch of the brand’s design integrity.

“We are still in the process of renovating, but it is a great move for us,” said Julia Austin, publicist for Splendid and Ella Moss. The almost 100,000-square-foot distribution center and fabric warehouse will remain in its Hill Street location, where 100 employees work. In the new space, 225 employees work in product development, design, marketing and sales, finance, retail operations, customer service, and manufacturing. Caverly said the fashion company wanted to be able to have “creatives send their [ideas] to marketing, then to a production line that could make short runs and see how it [works] all in real time." He added, "You can’t do that in a traditional office building. They wanted efficiency … under one roof.”

As for future tenants, Caverly hinted that several well-known fashion and apparel companies are planning on leasing soon, but he would not any disclose names.

At the commemorative opening, noted speakers such as Los Angeles Councilmember Jose Huizar spoke on behalf of the city’s expansion, celebrating the artist and fashion districts' positions in the downtown area.

“It was clear to us from day one of looking for a new home that we maintain not only our Made in USA reputation but also our Made in LA history," said Jonathan Saven, president of Splendid and Ella Moss brands. “We were thrilled to find this building, which was an exciting partnership with EVOQ. We were able to take a building with such great history and bones and collectively create a wonderful home for Splendid and Ella Moss in a way that matches our company’s culture.”