REAL ESTATE
CMC Reinvents Its Space and Image
After its owner, Brookfield Properties, embarked upon a $170-million renovation at the end of 2018, the California Market Center in downtown Los Angeles was not only redesigning its interior but also its image. While the CMC adhered to the calendar of standard events such as LA Market Week, LA Kids Market, LA Men’s Market and Label Array, it took an experiential approach to trade-show production with opportunities for buyers to relax and educational seminars that encouraged learning how to navigate an evolving apparel business.
Throughout 2019, the CMC also continued to add new offerings and event partnerships. In February, a new CMC Farmers’ Market brought together an array of vendors who provide a variety of products including farm-fresh produce, baked goods and cuisine from different cultures. An April pop-up shop featuring sustainable brands was hosted in the site’s lobby in observance of Earth Day. There was also a partnership with the American Contemporary Ballet company that brought the artform to the CMC over the summer with productions of “Variations on Raymonda” and “Death and the Maiden.”
“It’s great to be in the Fashion Theater. We do all live music, and it is perfect acoustically,” the company’s artistic director, Lincoln Jones, told California Apparel News in June. “Brookfield and the CMC have been some of the most wonderful people we’ve worked with.”
Following the departures of Senior Marketing Manager Becca Dawson on Oct. 4 and Director of Events Emilie Lewis, who left in August, the CMC announced the appointment of Moriah Robinson to replace Lewis.
“Emilie Lewis, who held the role prior to me, is a fantastic woman who did such an incredible job. I want to live up to her standards. She was vastly talented and has an extensive background in fashion,” Robinson said at the time of her appointment. “It was a project of hers and ours, as a team, to breathe new life into the fashion district.”
Continuing to serve the community in which it exists is a priority for the CMC. With a fresh, updated appearance at the location and new events being produced, Robinson encourages buyers to experience downtown Los Angeles.
“We’re on the cutting edge of a lot of great art and creativity,” she said. “I want to communicate to all of our buyers for trade shows and showrooms that they should be shopping in L.A.”
