The label’s latest pair of pop-ups may be fleeting, but to Alanui, a West Coast summer is forever
Words by MARIE LOOK
Luxury knitwear brand Alanui’s crush on California continues. Having referenced the culture and motifs of the West Coast frequently in past collections, now the brand has installed special pop-up shop corners inside the Los Angeles and Malibu outposts of Maxfield this month.
In addition to a unique opportunity to shop the Fall/Winter 2019 men’s and women’s collections at the fashion mecca, the label brings with it a pair of colorful window displays that pay homage to The Golden State, as well as further anticipation for its Resort 2020 womenswear styles (dropping in November), which evoke iconic local landscapes like Big Sur, the Sierra Nevadas and Joshua Tree National Park.
Although the label is officially headquartered in Milan, Alanui’s co-founders, Carlotta Oddi and her brother, Nicolò Oddi, both have a deep affection for the West Coast, with Nicolò even calling it home part of the year (his girlfriend, model Alessandra Ambrosio, has long made Santa Monica her home, and when not jet-setting, the pair are often spotted together around town). “What I love most of California and especially L.A. is its nature, colors and the special light this city has,” says Carlotta, creative director for the brand. “Los Angeles holds a special place in my heart. This is where Alanui was conceived; it is a city that still inspires my work and gives me new ideas and a continuous excitement.”
Inspired by the colors, wilderness and traditional symbology of the region, the Alanui team designed the Maxfield window displays to feature a cashmere boucle and a fringed jacquard cashmere cardigan in the line’s signature folk-forward motifs, surrounded by custom-made cashmere blankets in vivid coastal sunset hues and framed by native local greens, such as pampas, desert plants and dried poppies.
Given their affinity for the state’s unique blend of terrain and culture, it’s no wonder that the Italian siblings looked to their Pacific home away from home when it came time to set forth a vacation-mode vibe worthy of being rocked year-round. The resulting Resort 2020 collection features casually cool crewnecks, cropped cashmere cardigans, cable-knit jackets and more styles decorated with golden poppies, palm trees, Mexican serape-style stripes and other vibrant patterns that nod to the majestic wilderness of the land, the urban sensibilities of the cities and the beachy Americana of the coast.
Through Aug. 20 at Maxfield in Los Angeles, 8825 Melrose Ave., L.A. Through Aug. 31 at Maxfield in Malibu, 3939 Cross Creek Rd., Malibu.
Feature image: In Malibu, MAXFIELD displays a window installation by luxury knitwear brand ALANUI, which means “large path” in the Hawaiian language.
Aug. 13, 2019
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