California Apparel News

The Hyden Yoo brand opened its first fashion boutique on high-profile Los Angeles fashion street Abbot Kinney Boulevard earlier this month.

The downtown Los Angeles–headquartered brand has placed its men’s and women’s merchandise at retailers such as Bloomingdale’s, Urban Outfitters, Trunk Club and specialty boutiques, said Hyden Yoo, founder and the namesake of the brand. But a branded boutique would create a higher profile for the label, he said.

“You get instant credibility for the brand if you are on that street,” he said of Abbot Kinney. “It’s my favorite neighborhood. It is also the neighborhood that I live in.”

The 650-square-foot store is located at 1410 Abbot Kinney Blvd., a space that formerly housed Satine Kawaii, a fashion store inspired by Japanese “cute” culture. The store was run by prominent Los Angeles boutique chain Satine.

Like a few other fashion designers, Yoo got his start on a reality show, but this reality show had nothing to do with fashion.

Yoo appeared on the 2002 season of “Fear Factor,” where contestants competed for money and prizes by finessing big stunts. In Yoo’s case, on the show he was doing something similar to waterskiing on dirt while being dragged by a covered wagon. He also performed a Houdini-esque stunt by jettisoning an opponent out of a Plexiglas cage perched high over a river.

He saved $10,000 of his prize money and started the Hyden Yoo line in 2008. (The Houston native, with a a degree in biology/pre-med from the University of Chicago, had been working as a business consultant. He is a self-taught designer.) Initially, he designed and sold shirting. But his label gradually increased to include blazers, outerwear, knits and some bottoms. Yoo said that his line worked with unique fabrications. “We wanted to try something different but not too crazy,” he said. Rather, they were clothes that men could wear to the office or for going out.

He also started a line called Standard Issue in 2010. He described it as sophisticated streetwear, and it keeps the same design mission as Hyden Yoo. It’s different but not too crazy. There’s military-inspired looks but no loud colors or big, graphic prints, he said. Retail price points for Hyden Yoo range from $40 to $400. Standard Issue’s price points range from $20 to $200. Both lines are sold at the Abbot Kinney store.

Yoo also crafted the interior design of the store, which had a clean, gallery-style look. He designed many of the mid-century modern–inspired furniture in the store. “It would have been easier if I bought everything,” he said, “but it’s more special if I designed everything.”

The Hyden Yoo label is self-financed and has no investors. Yoo hopes to eventually open another boutique but is in no hurry. “I’m not obsessed by that aspect,” he said of boutique retail. “I want to continue to do great business with wholesalers and make great product for the shop.”