Nana Judy Emerges on Fairfax Avenue as L.A. Comes Into Focus for Brand
LOS ANGELES — Nana Judy is the latest brand to set up shop on Fairfax Avenue, marking the brand’s entry into retail.
The company’s 2,650-square-foot store is next to Tyler the Creator’s Golf Wang shop. The space, which the company will officially ring in on its Oct. 25 grand opening, will also serve a dual purpose as the company’s U.S. headquarters and showroom.
“The brand’s been around for 11 years in Australia and we have a flagship in Melbourne, which does extremely well,” Nana Judy founder Glenn Coleman said of the thinking behind opening a Stateside store now. “We’ve been in the U.S. market for two years and the demand has been a natural progression and it happened organically through our consumers.”
The company’s had its eye on Fairfax Avenue for a few years now, Coleman said, jumping at the chance to sign a lease when space became available.
Coleman pointed to the street’s culture and the existing brands on Fairfax that made it a primary focus for Nana Judy’s first store.
The Fairfax flagship will carry in-store exclusives, including the Oct. 26 launch of a men’s and women’s collaboration with Disney’s “101 Dalmatians.” Disney has been on a tear of late with collaborations marking the 90th anniversary of Mickey Mouse. Going with “101 Dalmatians” made better sense for Nana Judy, which was named after Coleman’s great-grandmother, Dalmatian Judy.
The gallery-like aesthetic of the new store will next year be mirrored in Melbourne when that door, now 10 years old, undergoes a major remodel. Coleman doesn’t see major expansion of retail in the cards.
“Our long-term plan is certainly to remain exclusive to the East and West Coasts so perhaps a flagship in New York would make sense but we only want the one flagship in Los Angeles,” Coleman said. “For us, we want to limit and create the right experience and have that demand. We have such a strong business on the retail [wholesale] side so Fairfax is great to show our creative side.”
Nana Judy is sold in more than 3,000 doors worldwide, including Bloomingdale’s and Lord & Taylor.
Coleman said the company’s designs and fabrications, which sometimes cross over into a rocker aesthetic, have given it a point of distinction within the premium streetwear space.
“Our main difference would be our innovative details and fabrications,” he said. “A lot of streetwear brands are very print based. We’re design and fit based. A lot of our fits are very unique, whether that be angled hems or biker details or cowl-neck hoodies.”
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