Tory Burch is making her mark on Los Angeles. While her flagship store on Rodeo Drive is under renovation, the designer has turned to Melrose Avenue for her latest retail endeavor in the city.
The CFDA member tapped fashion entrepreneur-turned restauranteur- Humberto Leon, best known as co-founder of Opening Ceremony and Creative Director of Kenzo, for the project. After meeting in the early 2000s, the two are reuniting for a first-of-its-kind concept store. The project is a natural fit for the LA-based creative, who started his career as a visual merchandiser and has extensive experience in fashion retail.
Work by the German photographer Walter Schels, whose animal prints Burch included in her Resort 2024 collection, is sprawled across the boutique’s façade and interior. A playful game of cat and mouse unfolds across the building, while an especially adorable portrait of a cat in mid-meow fills the interior of the space. United by a love of animals, the artist serves as the perfect backdrop for Burch’s new collection.
“There’s a human element to Walter’s photographs, in the way he looks at the animals and they in turn look back,” the designer said. “He gives animals the same respect as humans, highlighting their unique personalities and emotions.”
The feline theme runs true throughout the space. A shag carpet covers the floors, displays, and structural beams, designed to mimic a cat tower. Leon also commissioned artist Aranza Garcia of Chuch Estudio in Merida, Mexico, to create a series of pink ceramic seats, which he positioned throughout the space in clusters of nine. Key items from the collection — including the Pierced mule, the Lee Radziwill Double Bag, and the new Kira Diamond Quilt Shoulder Bag — are displayed amongst the shag-covered shelves and benches.
His playful approach to merchandising the collection echoes that of the space. “We’re proposing different ways of wearing and styling clothing, making everything less precious, mixing runway with, for example, fleece,” Leon says. “In your closet, everything is equal. Your concert T-shirt you got when you were 18 is as valuable as the latest runway piece.”
The partnership is an unexpectedly perfect collaboration between two fashion forces. In addition to the space, they also designed a special Melrose capsule collection of T-shirts, sweatshirts, and totes with abstract Chels portraits of the cat and bunny.
“I have long admired Humberto’s creativity,” said Tory. “I wanted him to feel free to experiment and bring his own point of view to the space, the photography, and the collection. I like the tension of collaborating with someone as creative as he is.”
The boutique will be open through the end of the year at 8483 Melrose Avenue.
