Field Notes from LA's Retail Scene
For the fourth outing of Field Notes, we're crossing the Atlantic for a slice of shopping and Californian culture.
ICYMI
Field Notes is a content series where we explore the luxury retail landscape in cities worldwide. They’re meant to be anecdotal; we’re sharing and observing what we see.
The idea is that we’ll take a neighbourhood or city with a strong luxury retail presence and dissect what we like about the retail establishments there.
PS – Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our Paris Field Notes.
Got an idea? Let us know where we should visit next!
Hello – it’s Luke, back with a brand new edition of Field Notes from across the Atlantic. Welcome to LA, aka the city of dreams.
Boasting some of the industry’s most desirable brands and Californian staple eats - expect fashion enthusiasts, fitness fanatics, cultural tastemakers, and genuinely nice people.
LA is a different kind of city. There is no centre, instead there’s neighbourhoods with distinct vibes that you (inevitably) drive between. Like WeHo, Le Brea, Beverly Hills, Downtown and so on.
Los Angeles is at the centre of newness, its retail spaces and the brands within their walls lean wholeheartedly into New Luxury. Offering an eye on Football’s cultural dominance, quality-first apparel, and design-conscious stores that could double up as social spaces.
In short, LA has everything you need (and more) to build a high-quality, on-trend wardrobe–with or without breaking the bank…
Let’s get to it.
KITH
No matter where you find yourself, you’d do well to step into the local KITH store.
LA’s store is a little different, thanks to its subterranean entrance, making it difficult to locate (a neighbouring store has a notice in the window explaining that “if you are looking for Kith, go this way →”). Once you enter the store through the underground car park off Sunset Boulevard, you’ll appreciate the mystique of the experience.
On arrival, automatic doors greet you with a Treats bar on the right and a feature ceiling above.
Every aspect of the store is thought through; it’s beautiful, spotless, and smells incredible. The attention to detail is amazing.
The store’s modest size demands on-point curation, which it achieves. In the middle of the room, you’ll find a perfectly lit pill-shaped footwear section that illuminates the surrounding glass and the store, creating an inviting flow.
Compared to the Paris store, LA goes heavier on KITH's own-brand products, offering a closer look into Ronnie Fieg’s mind.
As expected from KITH, store staff are dressed impeccably, are polite and welcome but far from overbearing, striking the perfect balance.
Arc’teryx
Whether you’re looking to bolster your outdoor gear arsenal ahead of a hike or take a leaf out of Drake’s book and bring a touch of Gorpcore to your streetwear looks, Arc’teryx is a no-brainer.
One thing you’ll notice about Arc’teryx stores is that they get straight to the point. Products are clearly and cleanly displayed with no frills. Thanks to the openness of the space coupled with an ambient soundscape, the store maintains a tight focus on the qualities of the products, particularly their performance uses and capabilities.
Super friendly staff elevate the store experience, offering expertise on the product selection.
Saturday’s Football
Saturday’s Football is hands down one of the best stores I’ve ever been to.
Finding a mecca for a footy fan far from home was totally unexpected. Like a kid in a sweet shop, I was buzzing to see classic French national team shirts from the 1998 World Cup, alongside Roma away shirts bearing Totti’s name.
On either side of the minimalistic, wooden-framed store, you’ll find an equal split of club and national team shirts, most of which are (predictably) sourced from the UK.
Speaking to the energy of the modern game and its ever-growing presence in the US, the soundscape of the shop is eclectic, leaning more heavily into hip-hop than terrace favourites.
If you needed any further confirmation of football as fashion or proof that Blokecore is alive and well on the streets of LA, this NYC-born storefront’s new Los Angeles home speaks volumes.
Diehard football fan or not, this shop deserves to top off your LA shopping list.
Nudie Jeans
A trip to Nudie Jeans is a denim lovers’ essential. Everything about the LA store speaks to the brand’s quality.
Before stepping in, you’re greeted by white overfilled brickwork that creates a textured aesthetic, heavily contrasted by black windows to match the Nudie logo.
Inside, walls of denim tell you what the brand is all about, while overhead spotlighting brings the washes to life.
A mix of incense and uber-chilled, almost asleep staff strips the experience of anything chaotic.
H. Lorenzo Men
This slate-coloured boutique on Sunset is split in two, with the Men’s offering at 8700 and Women’s at 8660.
The dark exterior delivers an industrial yet luxurious vibe, emphasised by wooden flooring and an exposed steel ceiling on the interior.
By stripping the space of colour with a material focus, the upscale fashion and accessories inside–including Jacquemus, Acne Studios, Raf Simons, and Comme Des Garcons–take centre stage, demanding attention.
Mel’s Drive-In
A spot of shopping is incomplete without a bite or two. Fortunately, LA is a gastronaut’s hotspot.
An institution on Sunset, Mel’s Drive-In offers a classically American dining experience with quarter-fed jukeboxes on each table, bar seating overlooking the bustling kitchen, and quintessential milkshakes that are to die for.
Just One Eye
Upon entry at Just One Eye, be prepared for white-glove service with doormen unlocking and locking the door. Miguel welcomed me, explaining the history of the space and the owner.
The open space and scale of the artwork on display (there’s a HUGE Damien Hirst hung on the far wall facing the entrance) creates a gallery feel.
A less-is-more approach to design is implemented throughout the space, with pockets of carefully curated menswear and womenswear–from Armani to Arc’teryx, Bottega, Salomon, and Fear of God–throughout, with particularly impressive shelfwork.
Hungry for more?
If you’re keen to get familiar with some of the best spaces that the global retail scene has to offer, you won’t want to miss out on any of our Field Notes. Subscribe to Commerce Thinking below to see which city we visit next.