Inside Our Los Angeles Square
PHOTOS BY KAREN HERNANDEZ FOR THE ASSEMBLIST
WITH THE SUCCESS OF OUR LA TRADESHOW AND BEING A NEW YORK BASED COMPANY, WE HAD A LOT OF BRANDS ASK US WHEN WE MIGHT DO SOMETHING IN NEW YORK AND THAT IS WHERE THE SQUARE CONCEPT CAME FROM.
The multi-brand selling and working community is where brands can manage their own sales and work day to day. We have been fortunate to be sold out at the NY Square since launching in September 2015, so it was only natural to think that the concept could work in other cities. We have learned that while we can provide an amazing space, it is the people that are part of this community that make it successful. From the roster of brands to the people that represent Brand Assembly in the Squares, we are so lucky to have the best people on both coasts!
The LA space is very similar in feel to the NY space - we actually have the same exact sliding glass doors and light fixtures and even shipped racks from NY to have the same familiarity in both spaces. We wanted the same “blank canvas” feeling with clean aesthetics. Even though both Squares are “loft-like” spaces, our NY Square is distinctly New York in feel with hardwood floors and LA is more downtown with a more concrete and industrial feel. The décor in LA is slightly more modern with clean angles and more neutral with pops of color, while NY is slightly more eclectic and organic.
We generally want to make our spaces uniform so that it is very easy for a member to go from location to location and feel at home. This uniformity ranges from the aesthetics of the consistent sliding glass doors to the internet access that works under the same system in both locations (so that if you are a NY member and are connected to our Wi-Fi in NY when you get to LA you are automatically connected there too). But ultimately we want the brands and their guests to feel at home, so while we provide basic furniture inside the studios we do allow for some personalization/branding to make it their own.
The way we envision embracing each city’s character is not necessarily in the way the space feels and operates but mostly in what we do there. So we plan to have talks and events in the space that are specific to the community and partner up with local companies. Stay tuned for more and in the meantime here is a little background on a handful of our founding LA members:
Drifter – We are super excited to have Drifter in the space as they have been a pillar of the LA fashion community for several years. Being based in Compton the brand has a strong heritage and story. It was important for them to have a downtown presence which is why the Square works well for them - to have their sales team in the epicenter of fashion sales around the clock.
Marca Agency – A new showroom that just launched this past season. We love to have ambitious entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses with Brand Assembly and we hope that Jessica can grow her business with us! She has a great mix of brands that are quintessentially LA.
Katharine Kidd - We love having Katharine Kidd be part of the Brand Assembly Square LA! She is another brand that is based in LA but wanted to capitalize on having a downtown home-base. Katharine’s designs blend her southern heritage with west coast cool and NY edge.
First and foremost we want people to feel welcome and a sense of community and collaboration. We want designers to be able to work and show from our Squares in a way unlike any other place and we want buyers to come in and feel relaxed enough to spend time there and discover new brands without feeling any pressure. With this space we want people to feel like they are in the most exclusive (but inclusive) club!
- TEAM BRAND ASSEMBLY
FOLLOW ALONG ON SOCIAL MEDIA @BRANDASSEMBLY AS OUR LA SQUARE COMES TO LIFE!