Over at Fashionista, Lauren Sherman has a really good look at how downtown Los Angeles has taken off after some dedicated efforts from retailers to move into the area. New York and select European cities tend to reign supreme in the world of high-fashion and when you think of the shopping scene in Los Angeles, the likes of Rodeo Drive and its gaudy brands come to mind instead of a tight selection of good taste.
But in the past few years, Los Angeles has undergone something of a facelift and a rejuvenation in the shopping world. While Skid Row is a harsh reality and a large homeless population has made downtown L.A. its home, in 1999 the city made it easier for developers to remodel historic buildings and turn them into residential spaces. As a result, more people moved downtown. As to be expected, with more people comes more businesses and well-known restaurants and shops have been setting up shop constantly. Zara and H&M both chose L.A. for their west coast flagships. Acne, Comme des Garcons, Tanner Goods and others opened storefronts. And, maybe most of all, the Ace Hotel's opening earlier this year helped supercharge the area and continue the transformation process.
Granted, there have always been factories there and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising is located in L.A., but it's only recently that the city has really fostered a change. In terms of menswear, now we have brands like John Elliott, Beautiful Fül, Long Journey, Stampd, Band of Outsiders, Fear of God and more that are headquartered there as well. Maybe with more help, L.A. Fashion Week will become less of a complete fucking joke. Probably not though. This is still L.A. we're talking about after all.
