Le Trend
Cooper Design SpaceSuite 1008(213) 236-4444
After 23 years in the California Market Center, Rosanne Karmes, owner of the multi-line Le Trend showroom and owner and designer of the Sydney Evan line of jewelry, moved to an expansive 3,600-square-foot space on the Cooper Design Space’s 10th floor.
“There is one word that gave me the motivation to move—’image,’” Karmes said. “I wanted to take the showroom more high-end and elevate the image of Sydney Evan. The Cooper building is the place to do that. The building is beautiful, and my new space is gorgeous.” High ceilings, custom fixtures and crisp furnishings imbue the showroom with the same casual-luxe vibe Karmes creates in her jewelry.
“With this new space, I felt I could really communicate my aesthetic and vision for my brand and the brands that I will carry,” Karmes said. Three times the size of her showroom of the same name in the CMC, the new Le Trend showroom also represents a reinvention of her product mix. “Some of my lines are staying with me, and I will be picking up some new lines” that are in keeping with her elevated aesthetic, Karmes said. For market, Gusto Handbags, new contemporary line NVM9, Carla Mancini handbags and Santi handbags will show at the new Le Trend. Freelook, the line of hip watches that was also a part of the showroom’s earlier incarnation, will be a permanent brand at Le Trend.
“We are still trying to figure out what brands will be here permanently and which are going to be represented only during markets,” she said. The important thing, Karmes added, is that Le Trend offer no more than six collections. “I am very service-oriented and sales-focused. We are going to put in a lot of work per line, and I want to make sure we build the ideal mix,” she said. That may be challenging during the current economic slump, but Karmes said she believes in doing good business and providing excellent service to her buyers. “They went out of their way to see me at the Mart,” she said. Now, she said, she is going out of her way to build her brand and offer a higher level of service. —Erin Barajas
