L’Agence, Cofounded by Denim Guru Jeff Rudes, Opens in Beverly Hills With Third U.S. Store
For years, fashion industry executive Jeff Rudes was the Los Angeles denim guy, known for his premium J Brand jeans. Then in 2012, 80.1 percent of the company was sold to Japanese-based Fast Retailing Inc., known for its Uniqlo stores, for $290 million.
Rudes could have called it quits when he left J Brand and lived comfortably ever after. But once you’re in the fashion biz, it’s hard to leave.
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It’s been 15 years since Margaret Maldonado and Rudes started the contemporary line L’Agence, for the woman looking for casual as well as polished pieces to complete her wardrobe. Today, the label is sold to about 300 retailers around the world, including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Net-a-porter.
But it is slowly building its own retail presence. On Wednesday, the L.A. brand opened a boutique at 371 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, joining a number of contemporary labels on the street. Rudes worked with architect Paul Bennett to incorporate a Paris-inspired design with large bay and transom street windows bringing California sunlight into the European-inspired interior in the brand’s third store.
The 1,650-square-foot space will have the full line of ready-to-wear, including jeans, as well as footwear and accessories. “I really liked this location,” said Rudes, who said the new retail spot was in the works for about six to eight months. “We had a lot of options around town, from the coast to Beverly Hills. And we chose Beverly Hills.”
Not far away, L’Agence has another store on Melrose Place in West Hollywood as well as a boutique on Madison Avenue in New York. But Rudes has new plans for the West Hollywood location he will reveal down the road.
The brand is known for its casual California cool mixed with European sophistication. There are silk blouses, plaid blazers, pants, slipdresses, leather jackets, T-shirts and shoes. Price points range generally from $240 to $650. About 50 percent of the collection is made in L.A., where factories work on jeans and T-shirts. The rest is primarily cut and sewn in China.
Tara Rudes-Dann, the label’s fashion director and Jeff Rudes’ niece, calls the collection both rock ‘n’ roll and sexy. “It’s really about that boldness and vibrance of color and prints,” she said in an email. “We have continued our menswear-inspired suiting and tweed, rich silk velvets and a huge emphasis on jeans.”
The brand’s core customer is in her 40s. But the label also has products for a younger customer as well as women in their 70s. “One of our most important intentions is wearability,” said Rudes, who is the company’s chairman and creative director. “Back from the J Brand days, we went with touching a woman’s emotions so she felt she looked good. It’s about that feeling.”
Last year, Jonny Saven, a former CEO at womenswear line A.L.C., was appointed L’Agence’s new chief executive and is working to grow the brand with Rudes. He believes the Beverly Hills store will capture both the domestic and the international market, which the brand has been doing with sales in Asia and the Middle East. A showroom is planned for Seoul.
Right now, about 35 to 40 percent of L’Agence’s sales come from e-commerce and another 65 percent from wholesale accounts. But the company is hoping to increase e-commerce sales to 50 percent in the next few years. That is being spurred by Ashley Bryan, who was brought in six months ago as the chief digital officer.
Another newly added executive is Maldonado. She left the company for a while and returned four months ago to create new product categories. “She’s working on swimwear, eyewear, belts, candles, all of this product development,” Rudes said. “It’s very exciting.”
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