Vince
Los Angeles
On a warm October day, James was in LA working on an installation and staying at our favourite hotel, The Chateau Marmount. As he sat on his terrace having a coffee he did what anyone would do with a view all the way to the sea - he took a selfie and posted it. Within minutes, he received a message from former colleague, Caroline Belhumeur, simply one of the most naturally chic women we know. Her message, “I live up the street; drinks later?”. Nine hours later, sitting in the garden next to (too) many famous actors and directors, he learned that she had recently relocated from NYC to LA to become the Creative Director of Vince, the California-based clothing company which is the definition of California casual.
After a glass of wine, she asked us to help her with a new store concept. One week later, James showed up to Vince’s Hollywood offices with a handful of images and ideas. Caroline was excited to show him what she was thinking and shared her mood board…the images were almost exactly the same. The store was based loosely around Georgia O’Keefe’s Santa Fe home; walls were plastered in soft tones, corners were softened, seating was built in, and details of leather and bronze are throughout the space.
We then layered on oak tables, and vintage finds from the 1970’s.
The design has now become the global standard for Vince stores and has been used in both NYC and London.
