Matti Mamane: Now Made in L.A.

Matti Mamane’s office may be new to Los Angeles, but as the designer specializes in jersey dresses, he is already warmed up to the landscape of West Coast easy dressing. Mamane has designed and produced his women’s clothing line in Israel for more than 10 years. After having a healthy business in the United States for the last three years, Mamane opened a U.S. base for his company in Los Angeles in January. He plans to start producing the majority of his Spring 2011 line locally to facilitate shipping to U.S. stores.

“When I was in Los Angeles, I started looking into factories in the U.S. I was surprised to see the pricing was about the same. Just 10 percent more expensive than production in Israel, but the quality is satisfying. It’s the same quality, sometimes even better. The materials, the quality of the fabrics are at least as good as I can get them [in Israel],” said Mamane, who uses European fabrics but plans to source fabrics in Los Angeles as well.

Mamane sticks to the dark shades of black, grays and browns for his best-selling jersey dresses, which have a flattering drape on the body. The look is sophisticated and European in its minimalist, versatile and classic design.

“Most of my designs for the dresses for jersey, I will first do on a model. Take the fabric with scissors and try to shape up a vision that I have, and after that I’ll take it to a patternmaker and start working from there on. So it always starts from the body, and then it goes down to paper and then cutting and sewing,” Mamane said.

Wholesale prices range from $62 for a pencil skirt with pleated waist details to $78 for a viscose/Lycra dress and $98 for a long-sleeve dress with asymmetrical cowling drape. For more information, call Dorit Cohen (818) 865-8762 or e-mail dorit.cohen@mattimamanela.com.—Rhea Cortado