Before establishing his Lower East Side store and CFDA short-listed line, Assembly, as a bastion of downtown cool, designer Greg Armas was an L.A. boy. “This was my first client base, my first audience, the first place I started the conversation with art and commerce and fashion,” explained Armas. “But since opening Assembly five years ago, I haven’t had much presence here.”
That’s about to change. Tomorrow, Armas returns to his creative origins with the opening of a three-week-long pop-up shop co-curated by denim-heavy label Perfect 69. The store, which is housed in Hollywood’s Space 15 Twenty, will feature a host of one-of-a-kind collaborations, all made specifically for the project. “We have denim crumple dresses with eyes from Rowena Sartin, solid-gold jewelry made with 69 from Kathleen Whitaker, beautiful leather bags by Building Block, and lifestyle items—like some amazing bicycles that I brought in from Tokyo called TokyoBike—that take the space beyond clothing,” said Armas.
The designers, artisans, and other collaborators, like local furniture designers Waka Waka, are all expressly under the radar. “The intention was to really bring some of the quiet ones out,” quipped Armas. “We wanted to show people who may not be making everyday sort of clothes, and L.A. is a great environment for that.”
During its run, the shop will host more than ten special events. The festivities kick off tomorrow with an opening party, which will feature a performance by avant-dance band Pharaohs, and continue with weekly outdoor farmers markets, an organic-cotton-dyeing workshop, and two residencies with Los Angeles Web-radio cooperative Dublab.
“It’s a very human space,” says Armas of the pop-up. “It’s minimal, very friendly, and very optimistic. You’ll feel alive, curious, and free to come in and examine more.”
Assembly New York and 69′s pop-up is located at 1520 North Cahuenga Boulevard, L.A., and will be open from June 7 through June 30.
—Ashley Simpson
Photo: Courtesy of Assembly New York
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