After checking out downtown Los Angeles with a pop-up shop last year, COS is ready to make a commitment with a permanent store set to open this fall.
For its third store in the city and fourth in the state, the H&M-owned brand is moving into the former Olympic Theatre on West 8th Street. It’s pledging to restore the original details of the building, which was built in 1927, and to spruce up the facade and Olympic sign perched above the entrance.
Measuring 5,511 square feet, the sales area inside will mirror the brand’s clean, modern and functional aesthetic. Raw steel rails will hang throughout the first floor and mezzanine to give the impression of rooms. Glass, concrete and wood in neutral tones will build a gallerylike backdrop.
COS’ permanent move downtown continues the trend for a retail revitalization of the area. Urban Outfitters renovated the Rialto Theatre on Broadway before moving in three years ago. Other foreign brands in fashion and beauty — ranging from Sweden’s Acne Studio to Australia’s Aesop and BNKR — have been calling that slice of the city home.
COS’ other locations in southern California include the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., and a freestanding unit on North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills.
As such, COS managing director Marie Honda noted, “we are very happy with the brand’s growth in the U.S.”