Creative Recreation
Gerry BuildingSuite 704(213) 489-3320
For those with a shoe fetish, the new Creative Recreation corporate showroom might be a good place to visit.
The 6-year-old shoe line recently moved to an 1,100-square-foot space in the Gerry Building after years at the Cooper Design Space.
“We liked the clean look and the art deco vibe here,” said Reno Calabrese, one of the West Coast salespeople instrumental in selecting a new showroom for the line of casual yet fashion-forward men’s, women’s and children’s footwear. The showroom is managed by Lauren Miller. Calabrese and Rollie Wing, the other West Coast salesperson, have offices there. The deacute;cor is as clean as the showroom’s line. Black leather Barcelona chairs and sofas, sitting atop a cement floor, are grouped into four staging areas where buyers can view the extensive line of shoes wholesaling for $22.50 to $80.
Along the wall, the shelves are filled with the company’s latest collections, sold at stores such as Barneys New York, Nordstrom and Kitson Men. There are high-top shoes and low-top shoes, some with seersucker prints, others with calfskin leather or embossed snakeskin. Wild color combinations are not unusual, with fuchsia and white soles and fuchsia trim on some of the women’s shoes.
Creative Recreation was started by Brandon Brubaker, Robert Nand and Rich Cofinco in 2002 in Costa Mesa, Calif. The veterans of shoemaker Vans Inc. in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., got tired of making shoes for the masses and wanted to design footwear for sneaker freaks. They eventually moved the company headquarters to Los Angeles.
“They saw a niche in the market,” Calabrese said. “Before, it was either skate shoes or Kenneth Cole, nothing in between.”
The shoes, made in Pusan, South Korea, have a very cool vibe to them. Kanye West is reportedly a fan. —Deborah Belgum
