Infini
Infini is a new bottoms-driven, young contemporary, denimbased Los Angeles line that, though only six months old, already has a cross-continental design team and overseas manufacturing.
“My partner [Simon Tung] and I both share in design, but we also have a design team in Hong Kong,” said co-owner Jesse Lawla. “Our stuff is manufactured in China.”
The six-month-old company’s name is an abbreviation of the word infinity, which Lawla said was shortened to give the line a “more trendy” edge.
Lawla, a native of New York, entered the fashion industry as a sales and marketing rep, eventually moving to Los Angeles to work with Access Basic Jeans and Kno Betta before venturing into private label work. Within one year of moving, he met Tung and the two formed a partnership.
“I was introduced to my partner because he does package deals with bigger companies like Zanadi, Pepe Jeans and Crest Jeans in New York,” said Lawla. “They give him the design and he will fulfill the order, adding the detailing and labels. He ships the finished materials to them, handling the manufacturing in China.”
Infini has also maintained a connection to the partners’ roots in private label work, creating denim for Privilege in the Beverly Center.
“They liked the jeans that we had, so we switched the labels for them, since they carry their own brands in their store,” said Lawla. “We’re working on something similar with Bebe and Forever 21.”
Infini launched the line at MAGIC International last August and began delivering the first season (Fall 2002) to boutiques, including Amsterdam Boutique and Group USA in New York, Ebony Network in Baltimore, and Ayumi Collection and Encore in Los Angeles.
The Fall ’02 collection is 80 percent bottoms, according to Lawla, who described the pieces as “handbeaded denim and corduroy.”
For the Spring ’03 collection, Infini added more bottoms, including skirts, capris and shorts, as well as some basic T-shirts and peasant shirts.
Lawla said that the denim features several washes and styles.
“We’re doing the vintage wash, the dirty wash, the sandblasted and regular stone washes,” said Lawla. “The line is pretty complex.”
With manufacturing already in place, Lawla said that the focus is on expanding the placement of the product while enhancing visibility.
“The company just started, so we’re working on the sales and marketing right now,” he said.
“Currently we’ve got some celebrities wearing our collection, including Kenya Moore, MC Lyte, the Pointer Sisters and Heather Hunter.”
Infini recently signed a lease to a showroom in the Cooper Building, for sales and marketing, and will maintain its warehouse in El Monte, Calif., according to Lawla.
“We’ll keep our warehouse because once we manufacture the goods in China, we’ll ship them here in large amounts and store them so that we can dropship them to our stores.”
For more information, call (626) 279-2020. —Darryl James
