Designers Emily Current and Meritt Elliott on Monday will open their first retail experience for The Great, the lifestyle collection founded by the stylist duo in 2015. Located at 8575 Melrose Avenue next to Urth Caffé, the 1,800-square-foot double-storefront space features a courtyard patio and two entrances, and interior elements inspired by the denim and Americana pillars of the brand.
Washed indigo-painted walls, custom created by Portola Paints, are a nod to denim (the pair previously founded Current Elliott jeans); angular brass hang bars were designed by Brigette Romanek to evoke the look of antique brass buttons and rivets found on denim. The hand-painted green Moroccan Zelij field tile that covers a central wall is used as a tribute to the worn-in Army jackets for which the brand is also known.
The space is peppered with unique found pieces such as Venetian Murano glass chandeliers resembling feathers; a giant wooden swan that used to be a carousel seat and now holds the kids’ collection, and a vintage farm table inlaid with faded Liberty of London fabric that serves as the cash wrap. “We didn’t want something bling-y,” said Current.”We have that across the street,” she added, pointing to a giant chandelier hanging in the window of Restoration Hardware’s showroom and gallery.
The outdoor space will be home to more vintage finds as well as trunk shows, activations and private events.
“We see The Great as a lifestyle brand and realize that finding the time to go shopping needs to work easily into your everyday life — between exercising, coffee, work, lunch and school drop-off — so we wanted to find a location that was in the middle of a lot of genres of retail,” said Elliott of the popular retail thoroughfare.
“We have so much love for home design and see one’s fashion choices and home decor choices to be equal representations of one’s personal style, so to place the store within the La Cienega Design Quarter was especially meaningful,” added Current. “Fashion and decor intermingle so much now.” The company has an ongoing relationship with Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen on furniture and home accessories, releasing several new collections per year.
Setting out to create a lived-in and inviting space that fosters a sense of discovery, The Great on Melrose will carry the full ready-to-wear collection as well as knits, shoes and children’s, plus exclusive limited-edition product.
A special assortment of found vintage called The Great Finds are included in the mix, ranging from embroidered bandanas to Made in the USA vintage Converse, and floral-embroidered vintage Mickey Mouse sweatshirts. There are also coffee-table books (Current and Elliott have authored two), hard-to-find fragrances, hand-thrown ceramics, textiles and gifts made by and in support of women from all over the world.
The Great wholesales at more than 200 brick-and-mortar stores and online destinations worldwide including Nordstrom, Revolve and American Rag.
