Kitson, the chain known for its flashy clothing and the paparazzi waiting for the Kardashians, Jessica Alba and Rachel Zoe outside its Robertson Boulevard store, is closing.
In a press release, Kitson said all 18 stores, which are located throughout Southern California with one in Portland, Ore., and one in Las Vegas, will close. Kitson’s headquarters store is at 115 Robertson Blvd., south of Beverly, which opened in 2000 and quickly became known for its casual, high end apparel. It also has a prominent location at 8590 Melrose, west of La Cienega, and a children’s store at 116 N. Robertson. Tbe chain was founded by Fraser Kitson Ross.
James Wong, an official charged with restructuring the financially troubled chain, said Kitson is in discussions with other retailers in the hope it will find a way to preserve the Kitson brand.
California Apparel News reported that Spencer Spirit Holdings Inc., owner 650 novelty gift shops, and Spirit Halloween Superstores, made an investment in Kitson to help it avoid a bankruptcy filing.In 2013, Kitson received a $15 million in financing from Salus Capital Partners of Boston to take care of debt and provide working capital. In October, A-List Inc., Kitson’s parent compnay, was sued for breach of contract by Rio Bravo Inc., which does business as Vivienne Westwood. for failure to pay Westwood for $41,363 worth of clothes. Westwood operates a store on Melrose Avenue east of La Cienega and not far from Kitson’s Melrose location.
Kitson currently has storewide sales with everything marked down 30% to 50%. Its online shop is not working as of publication.
not a great loss. they rode the trendy fashion bubble and now have gone bust. crappy time to be laid off, but the holiday season demands capable sales personnel. good luck to staff and good riddance to a rip off boutique.