Mayor Garcetti Just Unveiled a Pop-Up Shop to Hype Made-in-L.A. Goods

It seems like everybody’s had a pop-up merch shop lately, right? Kanye, Kendrick, Lil’ Yachty… Well, time to add Mayor Eric Garcetti to that list. The mayor—or, technically, the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles in collaboration with the Office of Economic Development—has just opened LA Original, a pop-up shop selling a limited-edition collection of goods designed and manufactured right here in L.A.

Photograph courtesy of LA Original

A browse through the pop-up, located inside the freshly-redesigned Westfield Century City, reveals a collection of L.A.-centric goods made my some of the city’s favorite local brands, including homewares from Sisters of Los Angeles, Cisco Home, and P.F. Candle Co, skate decks by The Garage Board Shop, accessories from Pocket Square Clothing, Hedley and Bennett, and Maya Brenner, and more. Proceeds from sales will go to the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles and support the Made by DWC initiative of the Downtown Women’s Center, offering job training and creative skills to at-risk women (products crafted by Made by DWC participants will also be on offer in the shop).

Among the participating designers is Clare Vivier of fashion line Clare V., which sells colorful, Paris-meets-L.A. chic handbags and other stylish wares. She crafted two custom items for the LA Original line.

“We wanted to produce items that were indicative of the Clare V. line, incorporating both the LA Original logo and color palette, CV’s signature stripes, and conceived of something that would blend both together seamlessly—and work for both women and men,” Vivier says of the tote and pouch, emblazoned with bright stripes and a cheeky lip motif, though her motivation to participate in the pop-up project is about more than just aesthetics. 

Photograph courtesy Clare V.

“Creatively, I’m part of a artistic community that is really thriving in the city, and am continually inspired by the city’s breathtaking light, rich history, cinematic landscapes and eye-catching architecture,” she says. “With Clare V., I opened my very first store here in the Silver Lake neighborhood and continue to design and produce my line locally in L.A. I also can’t help but mention that I’ve been a huge supporter and proponent of Mayor Garcetti and all he’s doing for this city, and am thrilled to be working on something that he’s championing.”

LA Original—the pop-up shop and the larger awareness campaign of which it is a part—was created to highlight the city’s creative and entrepreneurial community and showcase the vibrant made-in-L.A. scene. “There is so much creative energy in L.A. right now, from designers coming here to present and show their collections, a thriving art scene, and a real cultural renaissance that this is really the place where everyone wants to be. It’s exciting to be one of the creators, who has been here for quite some time, always doing my part to advertise all the city has to offer,” Viver says.

Photograph courtesy of LA Original

The LA Original pop-up shop at Westfield Century City will be open through December 31, so you can buy gifts for all your proudest Angelenos. The shop is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. A selection of the LA Orginial product line will also be sold at The Library Store inside the Downtown Public Library at 630 West 5th Street, and the entire collection is available to buy online.

For more details into the citywide LA Original project, including cameos by participants from Roy Choi to Frank Gerhy, watch this video made by 72 and Sunny below.