EXCLUSIVE: Ulla Johnson Opening First L.A. Store
At last, bohemian fashion queen Ulla Johnson is coming to ladies-of-the-canyon country.
The New York designer will be opening a Los Angeles flagship in spring 2022, WWD has learned. The two-floor boutique will be located at 8823 Beverly Boulevard, a space previously occupied by Stella McCartney. It will feature ready-to-wear, accessories, jewelry, swim and exclusive, limited-edition collections.
More from WWD
This marks Johnson’s third retail shop after Bleecker Street in New York City and Amagansett Square in the Hamptons, and her first on the West Coast.
It sounds like the store will be something to see; Johnson is tapping L.A. interior design star Kelly Wearstler to bring her vision to the 3,000-square-foot building and adjoining gardens.
“Expanding to the West Coast is a long awaited and much anticipated moment for us. We have deep roots in L.A. both in terms of our vibe and our woman,” Johnson said. “As a native New Yorker, I am thrilled to be working with a partner who is steeped in the language of L.A. and with whom I can collaborate to create a space [that] speaks to its environment. I love Kelly’s earthy and elevated aesthetic — it dovetails beautifully with our own. I cannot wait to bring this vision to life together.”
Wearstler has had her own interiors and lifestyle brand business since the mid-’90s, and is known for creating hotel properties (for the Viceroy and Proper groups, among others) and commercial projects (Westfield Century City mall, Bergdorf Goodman’s BG) with a polished yet earthy California touch.
After staying in the Santa Monica Proper hotel, Johnson was taken with the decor, and introduced by a mutual friend to Wearstler. The respect between the creatives is mutual.
“Ulla’s approach to her collection is confident, layered, joyful and rooted in craft — attributes that also define my work. I am so excited to be collaborating with her to create the perfect home for Ulla Johnson in Los Angeles,” Wearstler said.
For her resort 2022 collection unveiled in June, Johnson was inspired by a recent road trip — her first to the Southwest — to Bryce Canyon; Zion National Park; Lake Powell; Sedona, Ariz., and luxe Utah resort Amangiri. No doubt the painted canyons and sage green vegetation she saw along the way will influence her new L.A. home as well.
Next up, the designer is slated to kick off New York Fashion Week on Wednesday morning with a runway show at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Best of WWD
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.