LOS ANGELES — Desiree Kohan had an edict for her namesake boutique, Des Kohan: Make it accessible.
So far, so good. Just two weeks after opening, the Los Angeles store has gotten the attention of an international clientele and editors from top glossies. Kohan casually chalks that up to her “circle of friends” and carrying hard-to-find lines from Hussein Chalayan, Giulia Piersanti and Sophia Kokosalaki, among others.
Kohan’s circle stretches from celebrity stylists to the L.A.-based designers carried in the store: Jasmin Shokrian, Pegah Anvarian and Kohan’s soon-to-be sister-in-law, Joyaan designer Joyce Azria, daughter of BCBG founder Max Azria.
To help shoppers feel comfortable, the stylists, who count Beyoncé, Gwen Stefani and Brittany Murphy among their clients, will work with customers — and the two-hour appointments will be free.
“[The stylists] are my friends,” Kohan said. “It’s so you can get introduced to the lines properly with people who are friendly. You can bring your own pieces in here and learn how to incorporate these clothes into your wardrobe.”
Kohan, 28, has worked as a trend forecaster for Prada, Gucci and Miu Miu. Accessibility is important to her since clothes from designers like Chalayan often intimidate customers because they can appear shapeless on the hanger, and they are typically carried in boutiques regarded as cold and exclusive.
The 1,000-square-foot store, with projected sales of $50 per square foot, is tucked away in a Twenties Miracle Mile warehouse off Wilshire Boulevard behind Wilshire Beauty Supply, the Los Angeles-based chain owned by Kohan’s family and a mecca for stylists and costume designers.
Having her family’s store next to hers is a win-win situation for Kohan. “People go out back to go to the bathroom [next to the beauty store] and come back carrying shopping bags from the beauty store and smelling like perfume.”
And her father pops in through the day to make sure she is getting enough to eat and not overworking.
Kohan, who said she buys for everyone from the society woman to the urban hipster, has grounded some of the more avant-garde pieces with T-shirts and tanks from Ella Moss, Splendid and Joyaan to knits from Kate O’Connor.
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The simple, sinuous design of the store also informs Kohan’s aesthetic of mixing high and low together and her love of nature. Concrete floors, tinged a shade of mauve mingle with angular metal display rods, wooden tables and display touches such as a sensuous, curved piece of wood with necklaces draped over it.
The opening coincided with the launch of Kohan’s eponymous collection, which features items like ultraluxe silk tanks and a dress of luxurious silk linen with a twisted hem. The couture-level tailoring is all done in Los Angeles with closeout fabrics that Kohan picked up in Europe through the help of friends who work at houses such as Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci. The line isn’t the first foray into design for Kohan, who in 2000 launched eveningwear line Goretti, which was carried at stores such as Maxfield and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Kohan said she has no plans to branch out. “I want to keep it in the store so I don’t have the pressure of mass-producing.”