7 For All Humanity and the Brilliant Are Some Fashion Occupants of Row DTLA – WWD

The list of tenants at The Row DTLA, a 32-acre complex in a worn-out industrial neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles, sounds like a creative type.

Among the first tenants in the warren of warehouses were 7 For All Mankind and Splendid, which moved in in 2013 before the bulk of the project was fully unveiled five years ago. The two labels are housed in 40,000 square feet of office space in a former warehouse structure that has an artsy vibe.

“The space offers a central location, beautiful natural light, creative spaces, multiple areas for gathering and access to unique shops and restaurants on the Row,” said Francesca Toninato, global chief executive of 7 For All Mankind. “All this is favorable for the creative work of fashion brands.”

Other fashion entities include Shein, which has a sizable presence, and Shopify, which has a select location on the first floor of another building with an attached photography studio. Adidas has been in the complex for four years and Athleta has held activities there. On the entertainment side, Kimmelot, the media company created by Jimmy Kimmel and partners, is a tenant.

The DTLA row, which is a cluster of eight warehouse buildings that is like a mini city within a big city, is attracting tenants not only for its creative ambiance, but also for its safety factor.

Safety is an issue that is becoming increasingly important as crime has increased significantly in Los Angeles. A major advantage of Row DTLA is that it has a large parking structure located within the gated complex. Also, private shuttles take employees almost two miles away to Union Station, the train station in downtown Los Angeles that is a hub for light rail transit and a Metrolink commuter train to surrounding areas.

Atlas Capital Group is the New York-based real estate investment, development and management firm that launched the project in a complex that originally housed a produce market, warehouses and a rail terminal. About 10 years ago, Atlas became interested in industrial buildings when Jeffrey Goldberger, a director of Atlas Capital, came across the complex built between 1917 and 1923. He envisioned the area as LA’s equivalent of Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.

In 2015, Atlas Capital acquired six warehouse structures, which formed the backbone of the property. It later bought two more buildings previously occupied by American Apparel, where the T-shirt company had its factory and headquarters before filing for bankruptcy in 2015 and 2016.

One of the first things Atlas Capital did was build an adjacent 4,000-space multi-level parking garage that offers two hours of free parking for shoppers and diners and secure daily parking for workers. It is one of the largest parking structures in Los Angeles and provides a sense of security for people who do not want to walk far from their car to the office. The complex is surrounded by the rest of the gritty neighborhood, which is home to a Greyhound bus terminal, another large produce market, and several one-room hotels across from sidewalk tents for homeless residents.

As part of the redevelopment of the complex, a central plaza was created by relocating a power substation to a corner of the development. Then, from another part of the property, a 40-foot ficus tree was uprooted and moved to the new square, where a circular wooden bench was built around the towering green. This is now a focal point of the complex and a pleasant place to hang out.

Complementing the creative offices are independent restaurants and retail spaces that house outposts selling clothing, furniture, ceramics, homewares, wine and beauty products. They all face a tree-lined avenue, giving the impression that a visitor is strolling through a tree-lined section of SoHo. On Sundays, there is a Smorgasburg food market at the 7th Street Produce Market, originally called the LA Terminal Market.

“There’s a lot of opportunity for content here because people can control the space,” said Karen Yi, director of brand and event marketing for Row DTLA. “We do a lot of photo shoots on campus.”

The DTLA line started filling up well after it opened. But then the pandemic hit and things got pretty tough, said Chris Kitchen, director of asset management for Row DTLA. Even before the pandemic, one of the Row’s major tenants, the 40,000-square-foot San Francisco-based Tartine Bakery, closed its bakery and restaurant space at LA Manufactory in late 2019 after just 11 months there.

And J Brand moved as the label diversified from wholesale operations to direct-to-consumer sales. “It was tough,” Yi said. “A lot of activity here is booming with people coming down to their office. It made it difficult for our small, independent tenants.”

Agreements were reached with several tenants, Yi said. But the economy bounced back and now nearly 80 percent of the complex is leased and new people are still moving in.

Earlier this year Revolve, the online clothing company launched in 2003, created a substantial back office space.

The Revolve crew now occupies the former J Brand space and then some at 48,000 square feet where designers, photographers and staff work in offices with polished concrete floors, wide square-paned windows and high ceilings.

Before relocating, Revolve had its subsidiary office in Los Angeles’ Fashion District less than a mile away, where its staff worked on four floors of the Gerry Building, a 1940s Streamline Moderne structure dedicated to showrooms and offices . But she needed a wider and closer space to coordinate activities.

Mitch Moseley, CEO of Revolve’s proprietary brand division, said the company was looking for an office design that inspired creativity and valued safety. “Our priorities became a reality with the safe campus and vibrant culture on the Row as the driving factor in the move,” he said.

Fashionphile, a resale website that resells luxury bags and accessories, relocated a few years ago after looking at space for a regional technical office.

“We looked at a few spaces and then we went to the Row and said, ‘This is home,'” said Sarah Davis, Fashionline’s founder, president and chief creative officer, who noted that they also had a pop-up shop in past in Row. “We thought this is the perfect place for us. The energy here is the kind of energy we wanted for our digital and creative team.”

Today, fashion tenants occupy 187,000 square meters of the complex.