California Apparel News

Juan Carlos Obando, a relative newcomer to the fashion industry, made waves in the Los Angeles fashion community when he presented his first collection on the runway at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in October 2004. With an L.A. Fashion Awards’ Moss Adams Fashion Innovator (MAFI) nomination under his belt this year, Obando is now looking to build a brand. For his fifth season, the designer presented his collection during New York Fashion Week with an intimate gathering in a hotel room at the Bryant Park Hotel.

Until now, he has taken a slow but strategic approach to building his business, but after his September presentation in New York Obando saw his sales jump 200 percent. Already in Des Kohan and Ron Herman in Los Angeles and Oui in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the line has also been picked up by Blake in Chicago, Tender in Birmingham, Mich., Ships in Japan and Blue Genes in Atlanta.

How does a relative newcomer with a limited fashion background take the fashion world by storm? Obando, who is also an advertising creative director, understands marketing and brand building. “I love brands. I love building brands,” said the Colombian-born designer from behind his office desk at interactive advertising agency WhittmanHart. The company has been supportive of Obando’s venture and has helped him with strategic planning. “The power of a brand goes way beyond the power of a single merchandise item,” he said. Obando was inspired to launch the fashion line because he sees fashion as an opportunity to express his vision utilizing the different skills he has acquired throughout his career, including visual communication, the performing arts, fashion and marketing. Fashion was the perfect avenue to make tangible creations to communicate his point of view and find a balance between art and commerce, the designer said. Originally, he set out to create a shoe line. The ready-to-wear line evolved as a way to showcase the shoes, but it eventually took over as the main focus of the brand.

Obando honed his artistic expression over the past several years in Miami, New York and Los Angeles, working for advertising powerhouses such as Bates Worldwide, Young & Rubicam, and Saatchi & Saatchi. He created campaigns for global brands such as BMW, Procter & Gamble, Perrier, L’Oreal Paris, Toyota and Walt Disney Co.In addition, he photographed images for a book based on the 10th anniversary of Latin American fashion designer Silvia Tcherassi and for many seasons provided creative artistic direction for designers showing at Milan Fashion Week. Currently, as creative director for WhittmanHart, Obando has developed Web sites for international companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Casio, and Sony Pictures, including the new James Bond film “Casino Royale.”

“The great thing about it is that all the knowledge goes back and forth—for fashion, I bring all that knowledge into the consumer world,” he said. “I didn’t come here just to make little black dresses. I came here to build a brand that people love.”

His first collection, aptly named “Swimming Pool,” made a splash on the runway with ultra-luxe skin-tight dresses, all-white suitings, elegant wrap coats, daring swimsuits, shoes and handbags. The collection put the designer on the map but only in a few retail stores. According to retailer Desiree Kohan, owner of Los Angeles boutique Des Kohan, Obando’s line has done well since the beginning. Her event-oriented clients from Malibu shop there for his unique cocktail dresses, eveningwear and jackets. Kohan said his pieces stand out in a market that other designers aren’t reaching. “We do very well together,” said Kohan. “The store is the perfect match for him.”

Over the past seasons, Obando has varied the thematic stories of his collections, exploring the balance between artistic expression and salable fashion. Last season he found the balance. His futuristic yet modern collection in his signature dark palette of black, gray and ivory illustrated his forward approach to modern style.

This season, Obando has taken it a step further, melding the sensibility of Los Angeles’ style with fashion-forward clothing. The collection, manufactured in Los Angeles and southern Italy, blends old and new with vintage construction, modern silhouettes and technologically advanced fabrications. For Spring ’07, jackets are made in washed linen, elegant gowns are shortened to cocktail length and T-shirts sport his grandmother’s vintage buttons— a home-spun touch that captures the consumer’s imagination, the designer said. “They’re getting the story behind the buttons,” Obando said. “Let’s make clothes that are beautiful, executed in a beautiful style, but let’s also make clothes that are approachable.”

The designer plans to take time to build his brand, focusing on building loyalty, relationships and retail sales.

Time to grow

The decision to show in New York was based, in part, on timing. Showing in Los Angeles paved the way to present his collection to a wider audience in New York. According to Obando, marketing your product at the right time, in the right place and in the right market is key. Yet, he argues that good design is universal.

“I think a lot of people are quietly detaching themselves from the L.A. fashion community because they’re thinking that is going to be essential for their success. And honestly, I think it’s very dumb,” he said. “I think if you have a good product, it doesn’t really matter where you are. It has nothing to do with L.A., N.Y., Tokyo or Zimbabwe. Sure, we all aspire to an international show—which I think is an amazing contribution to your career—but I think being recognized in your home is a giant contribution to your heart.”

In the future, Obando plans to reintroduce his shoe line and add more products to his collection. “And when the timing is right, I will do a runway show [in New York],” he said. “I don’t think you have to take a step back to move forward. But I believe in standing still for a moment and seeing where do I need to go from here.”

For more information, contact aurelia@jcobando.com or call (714) 892- 6141.