Education: Chateau Marmont

 
It's been a while since I've had a source of inspiration for a side project. A side project for me is always an ambition, a wild dream and a rebellious idea. This particular daydream is sort of a new interpretation for an existing fashion label.
 
My history in retail actually began with this brand and I find it sort of ironic that it has, in one way or another, stumbled back into my life. It's as if everything comes full circle in life. Well, my idealist nature fantasizes that it could come full circle and be a break my career could prosper from.


The brand (which will remain anonymous for the time being) is rooted in seventies rock. They built a reputation on music, motorcycles and garage glamour. Like many labels that have survived the recession (it is over, right?), they have reinvented themselves out of a means for survival to the point that they have lost sight of their roots. That's just an outsider's observation though.
 
My sources tell me they are about to clean up their look and target a customer who isn't merely interested in casual luxury by day, but wants to take that look out for cocktails. More refined, more versatile and more covetable.
 
When I began to think about their roots and their plan for the future, it was like a juxtaposition of ideas - which I love.
 
Whenever I'm tasked to present myself for an Interior Design related event, I put together an outfit that appeals to me and my ideals. But, as soon as I find myself nibbling on hors d'oeuvres in a crowd of other Designers I feel extremely out of place. On the surface they all appear refined, cultured, glamorous and professional to the point that it has become a template for a successful Designer's look. There is no art, no passion, no creativity - just pretention.
 
I understand the appeal - those who appear to be cultured and refined usually get the million dollar jobs that lead to licensing and book deals. But, I want to refine my appeal to attract only those who are looking to invest time and emotion into a project. Who look to fill a space with creativity and thought - not just "of the moment" furniture that will attract the pages of a publication. Passion.
 
I find a juxtaposition within myself. I am capable of million dollar Interiors but appear to only work as an assistant. There is a refined taste that I am more than capable of, but have a yearning to burn every piece of mid-century furniture in existence. I get incredibly bored with what everyone else is doing. There are no Eames chairs in my future (hopefully).
 
The Chateau Marmont is the perfect example of this juxtaposition. It is a refined chateau on Sunset Boulevard that requires a hefty bank account to occupy. Yet, it is famously filled with hip and trendy, tortured, struggling artists.
 
In February of 1929, Fred Horowitz opened the doors of the Chateau Marmont. It didn't begin as a hotel. It was first an apartment building.
 
When construction began three years prior, Horowitz was inspired by a recent trip to Europe where he had taken photos of a Gothic Chateau along the Loire River. He commissioned his brother-in-law, who was a European trained architect, to design the property based on these photos. It was aptly named the Chateau Marmont after the side street Marmont Lane.
 
At the time of it's opening, local newspapers described it as “Los Angeles’s newest, finest and most exclusive apartment house ... superbly situated, close enough to active businesses to be accessible and far enough away to insure quiet and privacy.” And despite massive amounts of development over almost one hundred years, it has maintained it's oasis-like appeal.
 
But, even back then you needed that hefty bank account to call Marmont home. Due to these high rents and the inability to keep long-term tenants during the Great Depression, Horowitz sold the property to Albert E. Smith who reestablished the Marmont as a hotel. The units, which already featured full kitchens and living rooms, became suites and was refurbished with antiques from Depression-era estate sales.
 
Like those brands that have survived the recession, the history of this landmark hotel has been a means of survival. When apartments weren't selling, it was reinvented as a hotel. And it's refined, cultured and glamorous interiors were filled with furniture from the estates of those who needed to sell everything to survive the Depression.
 
This juxtaposition continues today. A traditional, refined hotel on the legendary Sunset Boulevard visited frequently by people like Lady Gaga, who was caught exiting the garage in a sheer, sequined bodysuit. There is nothing more Los Angeles and more rock and roll than the Marmont.
 
Which makes it the perfect inspiration for a brand rooted in rock and roll, wanting to refine it's look for cocktails and at the same time keep it's loyal customer base.
 
On top of everything I have just talked about, there is an ambition that surrounds the Marmont. Tourists, and even residents, want to stay there to experience the history and glamour. Or perhaps the ability to sip cocktails regularly at the Bar Marmont will make you feel like you've arrived at a certain lifestyle.
 
And I believe that the key to any successful retail brand is ambition. You want to project an image in advertisements that consumers want to mimic. You want to project a lifestyle that people fantasize about. Consumers purchase items in attempt to obtain this lifestyle and look. You want to keep them looking for more, keep their ambitions alive.
 
It's the template for everything I want to say about this brand.
 
As for how it will inspire the work I'm looking to create and present, you'll have to stay tuned.