Holzweiler Throws L.A. Cocktail Party and Dinner in Celebration of Fred Segal Pop-up
Holzweiler has landed in Los Angeles.
The Oslo-based label has made its California debut at Fred Segal, with a pop-up at the retailer’s flagship on Sunset Boulevard. It will be open through April.
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“It feels like such a right place for us to launch the brand in this market,” said designer Susanne Holzweiler at a cocktail party held to toast the partnership on Thursday evening. It was her first time in L.A. “We’re on this journey now where we really want to take the brand global.”
Holzweiler launched the endeavor with brother Andreas in 2012 before enlisting Maria Skappel, Andreas’ wife, as creative director two years later. The label can been found at Net-a-porter, Browns Fashion, Ssense, Neiman Marcus and Galeries Lafayette China. It was in October 2022 that they opened a flagship in Copenhagen. That same year, the brand entered a deal with Sequoia Capital China, expanding its direct-to-consumer internationally with a focus on China, the U.S. and U.K. Its first London shop is planned for this spring.
In L.A., the team leaned on lighter fabrications and thin knits. The selection — curated by stylist Mimi Cuttrell — features oversized fits with soft hues and prints. Bestsellers at the Fred Segal pop-up have been two cable-knit tops, a $215 V-neck and $330 sweater, as well as the $380 “Anatol” trousers — cargos with detachable legs that can be worn as pants or shorts. The latter will be added to the brand’s core collection, given the recent sales, said Holzweiler.
“Since the moment it launched, it’s been doing so well,” Fred Segal’s senior vice president of merchandising Ashley Petrie said of the line. “It’s been selling across both genders. There’s that fluidity and versatility to a lot of the garments…It really connects here in L.A. We have a big Scandinavian brand presence, but this felt a little bit more elevated and special in terms of the ease of the functionality. And it still felt playful.”
The retailer has been leaning on playfulness, she said, because of the consumer demand: “Especially in this post-pandemic era, they’re just looking for something that feels happier, more optimistic. Especially in this season, coming out of holiday, people are looking for color, texture. They’re looking for prints.”
DJ Honey was tapped to spin the sounds as guests enjoyed mezcal cocktails, before the celebration continued with a dinner at Caviar Kaspia. A$AP Nast, Empress Of, Langley Fox Hemingway, Lauren Caruso, Alyssa Coscarelli, Hannah Park, Brittany Byrd, Drumaq, Khalil Ghani, Quincy Brown, Lukita Maxwell, Mandy Madden Kelley, Cylus Sandoval and Tim Vagapov were among those out in support.
Cuttrell, the cohost, has been friends with the brand founders for about eight years, she explained. The stylist’s clients include Gigi Hadid and Madelyn Cline.
“I went to Norway for fashion week,” she said. “I went to as many shows as I could while I was there. It was just really awesome seeing all these emerging designers who I’ve never heard of before. And Holzweiler was one that stuck out to me. There’s just so many cool designs, innovative, really beautiful…After the fashion show I went to their studio, met Susanne, Andreas. I’ve just stayed really close with them since and have really continued to pull and show their clothing to my clients who also fell in love with their clothing.”
“This is a dream coming true standing here as a Norwegian girl having a Norwegian brand and launching it at Fred Segal in L.A.,” Holzweiler told guests around the dinner table.
With glasses up for a toast, she added: “In Norway, we say skål.”
“Skål!”
Launch Gallery: Inside Holzweiler's L.A. Cocktail Party and Dinner
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