Select Showroom

The New Mart Suite 502 (213) 622-7620

Joey Leonetti and his business partner, Matt Germaine, are a bit nomadic. They are constantly on the move in a bicoastal existence that has them traveling between their showroom in New York on 7th Avenue and their showroom at The New Mart in Los Angeles. They recently closed their Paris showroom after finding distributors across Europe.

Germaine and Leonetti’s Select Showroom had been in the Gerry Building for three years before moving recently to The New Mart.

“The first time I came to Los Angeles, I said, ’I have to be in The New Mart one day,’” Leonetti said. “When we opened, the Gerry Building was the only building that had space for a showroom that is progressive, forward and edgy.”

In their new, sparely decorated space, which covers 2,500 square feet, the duo carries 12 contemporary lines that are geared for the retailer who wants to stock a store with attitude. Their newest line is Life & Death, the line launched last year by Los Angeles–based Antik Denim designers Philippe Naouri and Alexandre Caugant. Other labels carried by the showroom are Salvage, Raw 7 Pure, Made U Look, Local Celebrity, Knot 4 Nothing, Unstoppable, Room 101, Proper English, Lo-Fi, California Rising and Lee Authentic Denim. They have 2,000 accounts with 10,000 doors, which include department stores and specialty stores.

Leonetti and Germaine are basically New York guys who discovered that California’s credibility as a top spot for contemporary clothing couldn’t be ignored. “We started feeling the fashion vibe coming from L.A., and a lot of our manufacturers were from there,” Leonetti said.

So they now spend about 50 percent of their time on the West Coast. “We love California,” Leonetti said. “It accepted a couple of New York boys with open arms and gave us a shot.” —Deborah Belgum