Sovereign Code
California Market Center C485 (213) 627-0011, Ext. 103 info@sovereigncode.com www.facebook.com/sovereigncode
Since starting business in 2009, Sovereign Code operated its showroom from its downtown Los Angeles warehouse, but in July, the men’s brand planted its standard at a permanent showroom at the California Market Center in the heart of the Los Angeles Fashion District. Bobby Narayan, director of Sovereign Code, said the move was inevitable. “Buyers kept asking us when we were going to move closer to the hub of L.A. fashion. We wanted to be where the action was,” he said.
Sovereign Code’s first stop at the CMC was a temporary space on the 11th floor when it moved into the building in April. At the brand’s 1,400-square-foot permanent showroom, which formerly housed a sales space for streetwear brand Lifted Research Group, buyers can witness Sovereign Code’s growth from a woven-shirts line into a full collection.
Before the launch of the label, Narayan was employed as a business consultant from 2003 to 2008 at Deloitte, the auditing and consulting firm. He had a career working in sales for men’s retail chain Structure, which was acquired by retail chain Express, during his college years from 1998 to 2002. Aspiring to be an entrepreneur, he started Sovereign Code with Ashish Arora, the line’s investing partner, as a “brand without gimmicks.” Sovereign Code’s guarantee was to tailor the line around the buyer’s needs. Since the 2009 launch, Sovereign Code has been sold at Von Maur department stores and specialty stores Nordstrom and The Buckle.
The line’s first splash was the “Ready” shirt, a chambray woven shirt with a military look and detailed stitching on the cuffs. The shirt has been continued to every season in the line’s brief history. Since then, Sovereign Code sported a preppy look and made the label unique through its accessories of brightly colored skinny ties, bow ties, suspenders and scarves. However, the bulk of the line is made the categories of woven shirts, knits and cashmere sweaters. Wholesale price points range from $28 to $34 for wovens, $24 to $32 for knits and $38 to $42 for cashmere sweaters.
Sovereign Code will exhibit during the Project show, which runs Aug. 23–24 in Las Vegas. The brand plans future growth by developing a men’s bottoms line and a women’s capsule collection. It also has sold its diffusion line No Retreat at Macy’s and continues to make clothes for boys. With all the growth, Narayan said the line also would continue to stay true to its motto: “Trendy, preppy and dressy,” he said.—Andrew Asch
