Banana Republic unveils its first home store to the public Friday in Los Angeles. It’s a pop-up, open for a year, and heading to New York.
The space was revealed at a private cocktail party on Thursday night, showcasing 5,000 square feet dedicated to BR Home furniture and decor at 8552 Melrose Avenue (with mannequins clad in Banana Republic apparel throughout). The party brought out the likes of Olivia Wilde and Riley Keough.
BR Home is in “launch mode,” Sandra Stangl, president and chief executive officer of Banana Republic, told WWD. The company is testing the location, which has hosted a number of brand pop-ups in L.A. It’s down the block from Banana Republic’s newest clothing store on Melrose Avenue (previously home to AllSaints), and just a crosswalk away from Restoration Hardware — looking to attract wandering shoppers and passersby on the walkable street (with neighboring Urth Caffé, Glossier and Wolf & Badger).
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“Los Angeles is one of the best design cities in the country, and the local love of natural materials, earthy palettes and organic silhouettes in home decor, as well as the breath of artisan and craftsman communities, matches our own desires and interests as seen through our new home and apparel collections,” Stangl said of the destination. “In addition, the ease of indoor-outdoor living and layering of sophistication and comfort, intentionally balanced with the unexpected piece, adds to how people want to live today.”
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As a California company, L.A. brings a West Coast base for the retailer’s home market, Stangl said. Banana Republic — in the Gap Inc. portfolio — has a number of clothing stores in L.A. Along with Melrose, it’s found at the Beverly Center, The Grove and in Century City.
A collaboration with architectural designer Stefano Casati, the home brick-and-mortar store offers furniture and decorations, as well as lighting, for the living room, dining room and bedroom. Expect $150 vases and sofas ranging from $2,650 to $4,950. Pieces are crafted globally — made in the U.S., Morocco, Mexico, Turkey and India — and feature earth tones and textures, woods and metals. Online, the BR Home collection lives at brhome.com.
The company is “discovering what works, thinking about interesting and innovative ways to reach our customers, and imagining what we may do next,” Stangl added. “We also offer our new BR Home collection in several existing retail stores, including San Francisco and the larger Bay Area, San Diego, Chicago, Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Houston and Miami.”