Groceries Apparel, an up-and-coming fashion brand, is moving. The brand will move and expand its manufacturing facilities and its corporate headquarters to Alameda Square, which is situated in downtown Los Angeles, adding to the enclave of creative businesses and growing fashion scene in that area.
Groceries Apparel has signed a lease for five years with EVOQ Properties Inc to occupy 33,000 square feet of office space in Building 2 in Alameda Square. The firm is expected to have completed the relocation before the end of this month.
Groceries Apparel began life two years ago – back in 2010 – and has quickly become well known as a pioneering apparel distributor, manufacturer and wholesaler for men and women alike, and one that uses only recycled materials and certified organic ingredients. The company is also committed to using renewably sourced textiles which are free from chemicals. The firm, which is based in Los Angeles, manufactures all of its materials in the local area and is also very supportive of up-and-coming designers in the city.
“As a downtown Los Angeles company, it was important that we stay and be a part of this movement of businesses coming back to the city center,” says the president of Groceries Apparel, Robert Lohman. “We want to contribute to the growth of our local economy, and to support our local citizens and environment. Our move to Alameda Square will help us succeed by allowing us to become more efficient and to increase our volume.”
The bigger space means that Groceries Apparel will be able to increase the number of employers by almost half as much again, to a total of 60, and to have tripled its output by the close of this year. The new location will house all of the corporate administrative functions as well as all of the creative, design, cutting, manufacturing and sewing work. The company currently sells its clothing to over 300 department stores and high end boutiques, including Barneys Japan, Kitson and Planet Blue across the whole of the United States and overseas in places such as Canada, Europe and Japan.
The chief executive officer of EVOQ Properties, Martin Caverly, cites Groceries Apparel as yet another example of the buzz which is surrounding the particular area of downtown Los Angeles, and is delighted that the kind of amenities and space needed to allow this creative company to have the chance to grow is offered by Alameda Square. Caverly cites the importance of them being able to think outside of the box and to build the sort of infrastructure that attracts the sort of companies that may not have traditionally based themselves in downtown in the past.
Lohman also notes that consumers have become much more socially conscious when it comes to where they spend their money, and they like to have the chance to be able to support companies that are thoughtful and forward thinking with their products.
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