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subscribe to style file blog via RSSnot so california casual
August 2, 2007 11:31 am
How does a woman steeped in avant-garde fashion reconcile herself to L.A.’s more laid-back style? Simple—she doesn’t. According to Sierra Leonean Zainab Sumu, a onetime sales manager at Comme des Garçons who’s recently opened an eponymous boutique in Hollywood, a growing number of Angelenos are embracing a more cosmopolitan structure and formality. “Los Angeles is becoming more like New York and even Paris,” she says. “The scene is changing quite a bit.” For her own shop, which further bucks L.A.’s casualness by maintaining a by-appointment-only policy, Sumu envisions an antidote to disposable trends. “I definitely wanted to create something more welcoming and personal. We’ll sit down, have a glass of champagne, look at the clothes. And I’ll help you put everything together.” Expect to find names like Martin Margiela, Junya Watanabe, and Azzedine Alaïa. “I look for designers who have a point of view and love what they create,” Sumu says. Zainab, 1843 N. Cherokee Avenue, suite 411, Los Angeles, (323) 469-3848.—Sarah Fones
Photo: Courtesy of Zainab Sumu
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