MALIBU, Calif. — With the Made in California label more valuable than ever in the fashion branding market, it was only a matter of time before East Coast retailers began following the gold rush.
Otte, the New York-based multilabel retailer, has linked with Garrett Gerson, cofounder of the contemporary women’s Sjobeck Malibu brand, to open its first West Coast outpost, on the grounds of the 150-acre events and entertainment center Calamigos Ranch here, which Gerson’s family owns. Called Otte x Calamigos, the 2,200-square-foot space is situated on a leafy knoll above the Malibu Café, a popular outdoor spot for locals like Barbra Streisand and Laird Hamilton. With its mix of up-and-coming and cult labels that Otte owner Kay Lee is known for; Otte’s own apparel line; a full range of Sjobeck Malibu sportswear, plus exclusive branded items such as custom matte-gold beach cruisers and wine, the boutique comprises what Gerson and Lee believe is the next wave in experiential retail.
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Otte x Calamigos’ second location will open this month in the Gersons’ latest property, The Ranch at Solstice Canyon, a Mediterranean-style restaurant/bar/craft-beer-tasting room situated on Pacific Coast Highway. For the uninitiated (or the non-West Coasters), the sunny shores of Southern California may be a one-and-the-same fantasyland, but Gerson is quick to point out the sartorial subtleties between Calamigos Ranch in the Malibu Canyon and the beachside vibe of the Solstice Canyon location.
“The ranch is more local cowgirl, Western-style, cool-girl Malibu, not beach bunny. Obviously our beach location is going to have more of that bikini vibe,” said Gerson, who was born in Malibu and whose late grandfather, Grant Gerson, bought the land in 1947. Gerson and his older brother, Garner, now run the property alongside their father, Glen.
The Solstice Canyon store will carry its own version of the customized beach cruiser: a custom-shaped surfboard, of course.
For Lee, who met Gerson and Sjobeck cofounder JesseRay Vasquez when she picked up the fashion collection for her newest NoLIta store, it was an easy decision. “When JesseRay came to my office to show me the line, I immediately fell in love with it,” she said. “It’s everything we stand for: cool, up-and-coming lines with a strong concept and story.”
Lee is a Korean-born world traveler known for mixing brands like Vanessa Bruno and Figue with up-and-comers such as Ma Ry Ya and MSGM and accessories like Comme des Garçons wallets and Missoni towels in her New York stores and e-commerce site (she recently hired director of operations Nancy Zhang from Google to fine-tune her online business).
“I had always wanted a West Coast store because so many of my customers are from there, or move there, or visit there, but it’s a huge investment, and I worried about how to manage operations from so far away,” Lee said. “This was the perfect opportunity — not only did [Gerson and Vasquez] have the real estate built into the brand, I found partners I could trust to execute our vision and lifestyle.”
The partners wasted no time. Their first conversation took place in May, Lee bought a ticket to Los Angeles the next day, and the store was constructed and soft opened by June 1. Clearly, there are advantages to being in business with the landlord. For Gerson and Vasquez, who both live on the Calamigos property, the new stores serve as the ultimate showroom for their seven-year-old brand, as well as the lifestyle that inspires it.
“When you put the appropriate frame around [the brand], it sells much better,” said Gerson. “When buyers come by the restaurant and store, and spend an afternoon in the canyon or by the beach, it helps them see what we’re all about and they realize it’s about more than one or two pieces on a rack.”
And as the next generation of a family empire, Gerson is thinking big. Calamigos Ranch began as a children’s summer camp in the Forties, and several of the original cabins still dot the property, which now includes a wedding venue, the Malibu Café, a lake and filming locations. The family plans to unveil a boutique hotel concept there in a few years and is looking at a third retail location in California.
“The atmosphere at The Ranch is social interaction at its core,” said Gerson. “It’s quality but not inaccessible, and this merging of California lifestyle, food, beverage and retail is something we plan to roll out internationally. It has huge potential in Asia and beyond.”