California Apparel News

Rock stars such as Steven Tyler and Lenny Kravitz have worn the dramatic styles of downtown Los Angeles brand Clade. For Clade designer Maya Reynolds’s next project, she’ll design uniforms for the staff of Aeon Botanika, a cannabis company with a wellness focus. It is scheduled to open a flagship in West Hollywood, Calif., later this year. The flagship will feature a cannabis lounge and a café. The culinary director will be Fred Eric, founder and chef of the Fred 62 restaurant and hangout in Los Angeles’ stylish Los Feliz section.

Designs for Aeon Botanika uniforms are still in development. Current plans include aprons, vests and tunics with a Moroccan and Asian inspiration, Reynolds said. The uniforms also might feature drop-crotch trousers made out of a heavyweight fabric. Tunic-inspired shirts and aprons will be designed for point-of-sale systems.

“There are so many different ways that I can experience cannabis. You can experience it at home,” she said. “So why do you need to come to the Aeon Botanika flagship? You want to give people a unique experience.”

The Aeon Botanika uniforms might add to the flagship’s experience with their themes of travel and different cultures. Uniforms will be produced in accordance with the standards of Reynolds’s other projects. They will be ethically produced by companies known for fair-labor practices.

Currently, Reynolds is experiencing a period of transition and growth with her fashion ventures, such as introducing a women’s line under the Clade label and unveiling a new Web presence for the brand. The remodeled site will also feature her other projects, including a custom-design business and her knits line, Uncommon Thrds. The website is scheduled to debut in spring 2021.

Reynolds’s business also experienced a setback recently. On May 30, the Clade boutique and atelier on Spring and West Sixth streets in downtown Los Angeles was looted after riots broke out in the area separate from the peaceful George Floyd protests that took place at the same time. Reynolds estimated that more than $40,000 of inventory was stolen from the atelier, which she has run since fall 2011. Some of Reynolds’s friends have put together a GoFundMe campaign called “Clade’s Looting & Covid Recovery Fund—Help Maya!”

As of June 23, the campaign was halfway to its goal of $46,970. Reynolds has set no deadline to wrap up the campaign. The campaign funds will be used to finance production of more inventory to get Clade running again. But Reynolds forecasted that she will not reopen her boutique. “It’s feeling like it’s time for me to move on,” she said. “The end of an era.”