Balenciaga Opens New L.A. Flagship
Balenciaga is bringing its industrial warehouse chic to tony Rodeo Drive.
The Kering-owned brand has moved its L.A. flagship across the street to 338 N. Rodeo Drive, nearly doubling the floor space and introducing a new, two-story, garage-like design in keeping with artistic director Demna Gvasalia’s love of all things gritty.
Related stories
Scary Chic: Jeremy Scott Shows Monster Moschino Collection at Universal Studios Hollywood
Diamond Supply's Nick Tershay, Rob Kardashian Link for Halfway Dead
Kanye West Yeezy Designer Debuts Solo Collection
Balenciaga is looking to the U.S. retail market for growth. The new store follows a Miami Design District flagship that bowed in April, and a Madison Avenue boutique is scheduled to open later this summer in New York.
About 6,000 square feet, the L.A. store was designed by Balenciaga’s in-house team under the creative direction of Gvasalia. The façade looks like it is sliced in half, with an enormous glass window letting the L.A. light in, while reflecting the palm trees lining the shopping street outside. The stone tile on the ground floor is flush with the sidewalk, giving the illusion of a continuous walkway. Inside, garage doors define the space, revealing raw, graffitied walls underneath, while polished metal tables, glowing displays and padded seating evoke a laboratory. Warehouse-style shelving and conveyor rails add to the industrial aesthetic.
Women’s accessories, eyewear, small leather goods, ready-to-wear and footwear are on the ground floor, while men’s is upstairs. Fans of the label’s shopper bags can nab a limited-edition XXS version for $1,520 that reads “Los Angeles.”
The most memorable feature of all may be a pair of the designer’s beloved hyper-realistic mannequins (based on 3D scans of runway models Kennah McMahon and Sacha Eusebe) with real, individually-placed human hair, natch. Dressed in fall/winter Balenciaga runway, they’re real enough to fool the best of them.
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
