LOS ANGELES, Nov 10, 2009 / FW/ — Pop-up, a guerilla style marketing popularized by Comme Des Garcons’s Rei Kawakubo has not totally hit mainstream but it is very popular with edgy labels that are just beginning.
Dakota Collective, a Southern California-based design house whose stable of brands include BB Dakota and Jack BB Dakota is taking advantage of the guerilla-style store concept with the launch of its own Pop-up in a former shipyard beginning November 20th 2009 until the second week of January 2010.
The 3200-square-foot retail space will feature a multi-brand lifestyle store, music and events space, cafe and coffee bar with all manner of products – men and women clothing and accessories, as well as books and other miscellany.
The apparel offerings will include a tightly curated selection of hard-to-find brands, limited-run collections and unique vintage pieces. Core brands will include BB Dakota and Jack, Cheap Monday, Corpus, and Jen Kao.
A fully operational shipyard in the past, the space still retains some of its nautical charm. As a nod to its history, a 20-foot tugboat will be installed in the space acting as an unusual visual centerpiece, as well as a quirky form of display.
There will also be comfy seating areas, a library full of rare art and photography books, a coffee bar, and a gourmet food truck outside during business hours. Outdoor seating in a lush garden setting will be available for the lunch crowd to gather, eat, and socialize. Attached to the store is a music venue/gallery space where music events, art shows, readings, and fashion shows will be held a few times per month.
This concept store is a collaboration between Katharine Brandes, Creative Director of BB Dakota and Mike Townsend, founder of INVEN.TORY NYC.
Leilani Arita, who worked with Mike on the INVEN.TORY stores, is designing display and merchandising Dakota Collective, and Michelle Mason, INVEN.TORY buyer, has been brought on to act as buyer and store manager for Dakota Collective.
“The idea is to involve as many artistically prone friends as possible in the creation of the store, whether it be to create murals for the walls, to DJ in-store events or to design small capsule collections for Dakota Collective. Our mission statement is to promote art and to promote our friends and whatever collaborations that combination may yield,” said Brandes.
Dakota Collective is located at 1640 Pomona Avenue and will celebrate its launch with a huge blowout the evening of November 20.
