| Related Articles: Shopping, All |
Love Culture BlossomsThe only Bay Area outlet of the trendy ‘high-low’ fashion boutique brings throngs to the Great Mall.by Kristine Bautista on Apr 28, 2010The once-commonplace “she-got-it-at-Forever-21” sightings are waning, thanks in part to Love Culture, a new trendy apparel store at the Great Mall of Milpitas. With its shiny décor and cost-conscious fashions, Love Culture has been developing a growing following. The Los Angeles brand opened its first store in September 2007, and there are already 23 stores in 11 states, with another 25 slated to open by the end of 2010. Love Culture’s signature look ‘n’ feel includes floor-to-ceiling glass walls, chic furnishings and soulful tunes. Its competitors—Forever 21, H&M, Zara—have saturated malls everywhere, while Love Culture offers an exclusivity that is just starting to break. The store prides itself on its “high-low” fashion options. “The phrase ‘high-low’ refers to the fact that you can blend our clothes and accessories with higher-end merchandise,” company co-founder William Fowler said in an interview soon after his first store opened. “You could wear our jeans or one of our tops and put a Gucci bag or a Gucci blazer on. There’s a lot of career-oriented casual wear they can wear to work, or tops that are for clubbing…or just clothes for a woman going through her day-to-day life, functioning as a mom, for example.” San Jose resident and Love Culture fan Tiana King says Love Culture has a uniquely broad appeal. “People from different style tribes can find anything here,” King says, “if you compared it to Hollister or Abercrombie, or Bebe, those are stores where only one type of girl can go. Love Culture serves the masses.” The location at the Great Mall has experienced floods of success, with women traveling from all over the Bay to peep the selection (the next closest is in Sacramento). Lines can be long, but there’s some redeeming quality in knowing that the chance of seeing an item on someone else is slim. Love Culture’s CEO Jai Rhee knows what it takes to cater to the whims of the female shopper. She is, in fact, the former senior vice president of teenage style giant Forever 21. And how’s this for stealing a good idea? While Forever famously gives shoppers 21 days to return a purchase, Love Culture gives them 22. Looks like there’s a new kid in town. by Kristine Bautista on Apr 28, 2010 |
 Love Culture's Great Mall outlet is the only one in the Bay Area. |
|
|
