Apt.4B shakes up retail world with new Los Angeles address

By

Chenu Alexis

Published
Nov 24, 2022

At Row DTLA, the former headquarters of American Apparel, transformed since 2018 into a shopping center, restaurants and concept store, Apt.4B, the concept imagined by Moon and Monique Moronta, has just made its entrance.

Neighbor of the General Store, Apt.4B does not display a neon sign or a name at its entrance, but the music, rap and hip-hop, that comes out of it, intrigues passers-by.
 
Inside the store, "an atmosphere which reflects a 90's era New York City hustler's apartment," explains Moon Moronta, with a lounge area equipped with a large leather sofa, leopard carpet, vintage round nesting tables, VHS, Hennessy champagne, and plastered with portraits of 90's star rappers. On the other side of the room, a kitchen area, with a sticker fridge and a tagged gas stove, and on a rack, the graphic clothing collections signed Apt.4B presenting T-shirts, hoodies and jackets.

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"It was rooms and scenes like this in the late 80's and throughout the 90's that were the birthplace of street culture," adds Moronta, who is also a music producer and an avid collector of 60's and 70's soul, rap and jazz vinyl. "These were the laboratories where music, fashion and the lifestyle were discussed and dissected. The Apt.4B brand is aimed at paying homage to an era and to East Coast culture that spoke to us."

"Apt.4B was born on Fairfax Avenue in 2013, at a time when the neighborhood was the epicenter of the streetwear world," says Monique Moronta, whose career began in business management. "First as a visual installation art pop-up, then we wanted to create an experience and the pop-up became a permanent store," continues Moronta. "Because of the Covid crisis and the evolution of Fairfax which is turning more as a Melrose area, we decided to take a new turn."
 
Seduced by the new effervescence reigning at the Row DTLA, now home to many ready-to-wear boutiques, from Shades of Grey to La Bodega or the newly installed Arcade, the duo signed their first lease last week. "The Row has this creative energy that reminds us of New York," continues Monique Moronta. "It's reminiscent of early Williamsburg, extremely well curated, and close to the Arts District."
 
In addition to their made-in-Los Angeles collections, Apt.4B has partnered with Crystal Robles and Ricky Li of Tried and True Co who also runs the neighboring General Store, which specializes in vintage clothing from the 80's and 90's. At the back of the apartment, past the bedroom, opens a space where T-shirts, Olympic sweatshirts, varsity jackets from Ralph Lauren, boomboxes and Hermann Teddy original teddy bears seduce vintage enthusiasts. 

Apt.4B will regularly reveal its collaborations with artists and brands, with Adidas in December, where Apt.4B designed the coloring and materials for 150 pairs of Adidas Forum Lows, then from next summer with Vans and The Vault line.

"We are also working on projects with musicians," adds Moon Moronta. In addition to celebrating the 20th anniversary of Jay-Z's first album, which we celebrated a few years ago now, we're looking at the younger generation, like New Yorker Errol Holden."