Magnet Showroom
Cooper Design Space Suite 211 (213) 622-0180
Franco Nakagawa’s showroom, Magnet, is known for its street-savvy offerings, which include British streetwear label Box Fresh, quirky T-shirt brand Heavy Rotation and Los Angeles street-chic darling Rojas.
Now, Nakagawa and his partner are ready to expand their reach beyond the street into the contemporary market.
In May, Magnet took its first step toward this goal by more than doubling its square footage. By taking over the adjacent showroom, Nakagawa was able to create a unique space that is ideal for Magnet’s new direction.
In his old space, called Magnet Gold, Nakagawa will showcase his streetwear brands. In the new space, reached by going through an arched doorway and past curving columns, Magnet Platinum will showcase contemporary goods. Buyers will be able to move freely between the two spaces, but the doorway and branding will help to subtly differentiate the showroom’s diverse offerings.
Magnet Platinum is home to Elevate & Collide, a fledgling Pasadena, Calif.–based contemporary line of androgynous women’s pieces. Packed with crisp, slim silhouettes in austere colors, Elevate & Collide features shirt dresses that look like a girl tailored her banker boyfriend’s work shirt; woven shirts with ruffled collars that can be removed and buttoned along the front to create a tuxedo-style shirt; and seams, zippers and buttons in unlikely places that are meant to inspire imagination and versatility. Wholesale prices for Elevate & Collide, which debuted in Fall 2008, range from $55 to $175.
Rojas is undergoing its own transformation, one that helped spur Magnet’s higher-end shift. For Spring 2009, Rojas will debut Rojas Silver Label, a more design-driven collection with better fabrications, better trims and a more fashion-forward perspective. The basic Rojas label—known for innovative T-shirts, flirty dresses, jumpers in daring prints, over-the-top hoodies and oversize outerwear—will be placed under a new Rojas Red Label. “It was time to step it up and go in this more high-end direction. Alejandra [Hernandez] is taking over as our head designer, and Freddie Rojas is assuming more of a creative director role,” Nakagawa said.
With its expanded reach, Magnet is ready to work with a wide range of buyers, Nakagawa said. “We have everything from novelty T-shirts to true contemporary. And with the economy as it is, our price points are where they need to be,” he said. “We’re really excited about the growth.” —Erin Barajas
