Cult Gaïa opens its first store in Los Angeles before New York in February

By

Chenu Alexis

Published
Jan 30, 2023

It's a crowning achievement for designer Jasmin Larian Hekmat. A little more than 10 years after launching her brand Cult Gaïa on social networks, around a collection of flower crowns, the brand, whose sales exploded with the release of a first it bag, Ark, has just opened at 8440 Melrose Avenue, its first flagship store.

Inaugurated Friday, January 27, during a party attended by all the influencers of Los Angeles, but also models Sara Sampaio, Shanina Shaik and designer Sami Miro of the label Sami Miro Vintage, the 2,700-square-foot space is opening in place of the former store of the interior designer Kelly Wearstler.
 
An opening that follows a first pop-up organized in 2017 on Melrose Place, and that unveils, in a decor imagined by architect Alexis Brown, already behind the Cult Gaïa pop-up in Miami, in collaboration with Anno Mille, an esoteric dimension, mix of bling and chic, entirely adorned with mirrors.

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"We wanted our store to feel like a Cult Gaïa shrine, a temple to consecrate our product, deeply rooted in the beauty of the natural world. The building stands as a monolithic mass, its façade hand plastered in bands of chalk and porcelains tones to appear as natural sedimentary layers, and the doorway is carved deeply into white travertine, serving as a sacred portal for entrance into our world of Gaïa," explained Hekmat. 
 
In the details, a sculptural brass hang bar sketches 24' over a stone floor made from over 600 hand-drawn pieces, with onyx and metal inserts, showcases the ready-to-wear collections, while a chair is signed by Voukenas Petrides design studio, marble display cases showcase the brand's jewelry, flower crowns, necklaces and bracelets, and a series of silver shining sofas and armchairs let people get rest or try on the shoe collections.

At the back of the store, a circular space features the brand's star bags and clutches, all made in China, and shaped like shells, wrapped in pearls or made of bamboo.
 
Daughter of the creators of Bratz dolls, a brand for which she still holds the role of creative director, Jasmin Larian Hekmat will strengthen her retail network in February with the opening of a first store in New York.