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KIN Boutique Takes Us Behind the Scenes of LA Market Week

By Natalie Alcala

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  • Meet the men of KIN: Nick van Gordon and Darrel Adams
  • Before heading Downtown, the boys hit Helmut Lang on Melrose
  • Darrel selecting pieces from Helmut Lang's spring 2013 collection
  • Darrel getting chummy with a Helmut Lang sales rep
  • Next: a first look at Current/Elliott's spring 2013 collection
  • Nick couldn't resist playing dress-up with this D&A hat. Fun fact: KIN boasts one of the largest assortments of hats in the Los Angeles area!
  • Reviewing colorful tops at a DTLA showroom
  • Selecting pieces from Diane von Furstenburg's spring 2013 collection
  • Getting a little loopy after a long week of appointments
  • Mission accomplished!
Photos by KIN

Meet Nick van Gordon and Darrel Adams. They're the power duo behind one of our city's most celeb-visited boutiques, KIN Los Angeles (8555 Sunset Blvd). For the past eight years, the WeHo shop has offered loyal fans like Jessica Alba, Kanye West and Katie Holmes a place to snap up high fashion gear and discover exciting emerging talent. So, how does a super-curated boutique like KIN find their winning duds? Enter LA Fashion Market Week.

During Market Week (which occurred last Monday through Thursday), boutique buyers beeline to Downtown LA's fashion district to shop the "market," where tons of showrooms and trade shows are set up for them to review and order seasonal pieces from a variety of labels. To give us a quick snapshot of the process, van Gordon and Adams put together a fun photo diary from their week and answered some of our burning questions.

What does an average day look like for KIN during LA Market Week?
"This is an exciting and busy time for the KIN buyers. We jump in the car and shoot down the 101 to Downtown. Once there, we focus on two main buildings: New Mart and Cooper Design Space. There, we mostly order brands that KIN has worked with locally for years. There's also a nice accessories show called COEUR and a small trade show called Designers & Agents (D&A) that we make sure to visit as well."

What type of pieces get the KIN seal of approval?
"At KIN, we're looking for brands that follow our high fashion aesthetic. Although this normally means a high quality product from an established designer, we also love to support indie and local talents that are emerging in the fashion circuit. We focus on contemporary brands with a sexy sophistication that can be worn by a variety of ages and avoid lines that are over-saturated in malls or carried at lower-priced stores."

Who are your top designers this season?
"For women, it's Barbara Bui, Helmut Lang, Raquel Ellegra, Diane von Furstenberg, Current/Elliot Denim, T by Alexander Wang, Thierry Lasry Eyewear, Erickson Beamon Jewelry and Shakuhachi. For men, it's Levi's Made & Crafted, Wolverine 1000 Mile shoes, Kitsune, Pendleton Portland Collection, Sons of Heroes, WRK, T by Alexander Wang, Pigalle and BWGH."

Do you have any favorite LA designers?
"Definitely. We love Skingraft, Jenni Kayne, James Perse, UNIF, Erick Hart, BleuLab and Lizzy Mandler."

What designers are on your inventory wish list?
"We have our eye on Isabel Marant, Vanessa Bruno, Yigal Azrouel, Engineered Garments and Moscot Eyewear."

Do you have any exciting projects in the works?
"Yes! KIN Los Angeles is currently developing two in-house brands: a heritage men's brand called KIN Los Angeles and an all-encompassing collection for woman and men called SCARAB. We are also doing some KIN collaboration pieces with two french lines, Pigalle and BWGH, as well as some pieces with LA's UNIF and a great brand from New York called WRK. All the collaboration pieces will be available on our website, so stay tuned!"
· KIN Los Angeles [Official Site]
· Bliss Lau, Bare, More: Six Seriously Cool Booths at COEUR [Racked]
· Skingraft Presents Futuristic Sportswear at Mondrian LA [Racked]