SKOT Apparel's Sister Design Duo on Their LA Beginnings

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If sibling-designed labels like luxe line The Row, jewelry brand Dannijo and LA's own twintastic Naven are any indication, stylish sisters who merge minds and talent can yield some seriously successful results. The latest creative kin to join fashionable forces are Canadian sisters Lauren and Mariel Armstrong, whose clothing label, SKOT Apparel, took flight in the City of Angels while Mariel—who describes herself as a California girl at heart—attended Downtown's FIDM.

After their line of totally twirl-worthy silk skirts (aptly named PARTYSKIRTS) was swiftly snapped up by the likes of Shopbop, the sisters knew they stumbled upon something big. Though the Armstrongs have returned to their native Vancouver, the DIY-savvy design duo decided to keep their #MadeinLA love affair alive by tapping local factories to produce their merch. We sat down with uber creative sisters and regular LA-bound jet-setters to chat about their Cali connection and what we can expect from them next.

Mariel, you graduated from FIDM here in LA—where were your regular haunts during your four-year stay?
Mariel: "The majority of my time I lived in West Hollywood and loved it! [...] There were so many great little restaurants. Brentwood is adorable and I loved going to Tavern and then walking around The Country Mart. For a little bit more of a escape, we would head out to Malibu to go to the beach."

And where were your fave places to shop, eat and play here?
Mariel: "For shopping: Reformation, Decades and Sugar Paper; La Escuela for dinner, Milk for desert; and for playing, Goldie's and Chateau Marmont."

All great spots! Sowhat sparked the beginning of PARTYSKIRTS?
Lauren: "Mariel has our mother dust off her sewing machine to whip up a few items for her wardrobe. A bubble skirt didn't turn out quite as planned and a PARTYSKIRT was made. After one night out in it, she knew she was on to something."
Mariel: "When we both wore the PARTYSKIRTS out together we would have at least 20 girls a night ask us about our skirts! They always seemed to start a conversation!"

Though you now both live in Canada to pursue your careers together, what keeps you connected to Cali?
Lauren: "PARTYSKIRTS are perfect for LA weather. Its one of the only cities you can wear your skirt year round with bare legs and we love that! PARTYSKIRTS have just a fun, carefree attitude. It's a similar to the feeling when you get off the plane in LA."
Mariel: "Our skirts are currently manufactured in Vancouver, our hometown. But when we decided to branch into t-shirts, we knew LA would be the perfect place to get them manufactured. Although we don't live there now, it feels like our second home so it just felt natural that we would do part of our production there."

Any plans to return to the City of Angels?
Lauren: "We always have plans to return! We try to make it back to LA at least once every other month. Now that winter has started in Vancouver the trips will become more frequent!"

What's the best part about working with your sister?
Mariel: "The best part of working with each other is that we know each other better than anyone else. We like to say we take turns having a bad day!"

...and the worst part?
Lauren: "Taking our business with us everywhere. We talk about it 24/7!"

What do you have planned in the future for SKOT?
Lauren: "We will continue to work on fun collaborations! We just shot a capsule collection for Teen Vogue and are looking forward to participate in Daily Candy's Bazaar in NYC in November. And we will be launching with great fitting, good quality t-shirts soon!"
· SKOT Apparel [Official Site]