Tallulah Willis to Debut First Fashion Collection at The Webster’s New L.A. Store (Exclusive) – Hollywood Reporter

5:27 PM PST 1/31/2020

by


Danielle Directo-Meston

The Wyllis line of kids and adults sweatshirts will be “adorned with imagery striking a chord for mental health advocacy and self-empowerment,” says Willis. Dakota Fanning and costume designer Arianne Phillips will co-host the store opening on Feb. 6.

Miami’s The Webster has landed in Los Angeles, just ahead of the 92nd Academy Awards. Four years after debuting its first California outpost at South Coast Plaza, the South Beach-born retailer quietly opened a 11,000-square-foot luxury fashion mecca designed by acclaimed British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye — his first-ever project in the Golden State — at the Beverly Center in early January.

Founder Laure Heriard Dubreuil is wasting no time tapping into her starry Rolodex. Tallulah Willis will debut her first fashion collection, Wyllis, at the L.A. boutique next week following the store’s private grand opening party on Thursday, Jan. 6. The event will be co-hosted by Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star Dakota Fanning and its costume designer Arianne Phillips, whose work on the film earned her an Oscar nomination.

“I met Laure through a dear mutual friend and I was instantly attracted to her light and shining energy. I think she has an incredibly sharp eye and is a massively talented curator. It’s an honor to be included in her endeavor,” Willis tells The Hollywood Reporter. 

The Webster’s L.A. store will exclusively stock Wyllis’ women’s and kids sweatshirts ($45 to $800), which will be comprised of “statement pieces in colors and prints that were born in the ’40s and ’50s [that] call to me,” Willis says. Expect vintage-inspired silhouettes emblazoned with her original designs that “strike a chord for mental health advocacy and self-empowerment,” including pieces featuring phrases such as “yeah I’m fine” and “incredibly uncomfortable in my own skin.”

The collection will also include sweatpants “and an over 30-piece cut-and-sew line,” says Willis; it will launch online Monday, Feb. 3.

Reaching THR via email in between board meetings, Heriard Dubreuil explains: “When planning our opening, we wanted something that felt super authentic and connected to the roots of Los Angeles. To us, hosting our launch event during such an iconic time — award season—felt like that perfect moment.”

On her L.A. store’s Hollywood co-hosts, she says: “Dakota and Arianne are trailblazers in their craft; they both inspire me so much. It felt like fate to have them both, given that they just created absolute magic in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

Covered in blush concrete inside and out, the “futuristic-yet-contemporary structure … is truly a dream come true,” adds Heriard Dubreuil. Nodding to the brand’s sunny South Beach heritage, the store is punctuated by massive round pillars, curved walls that create sculptural space-bending corners, colossal rectangular display shelves, terrazzo flooring and brass fixtures. The front entrance’s exterior features a sleek fountain and a terraced alcove, where digital art will be projected.

The store is stocked with womenswear, menswear, handbags, footwear and accessories from a mix of luxury fashion houses and cult-favorite labels, such as Burberry, Gucci, JW Anderson, Off-White, Palm Angels, Rhude and Johanna Ortiz. A center seating area displays shoes and bags by Chloé, Loewe, Saint Laurent, Pierre Hardy and Salvatore Ferragamo.

At the front of the boutique, a semi-circular fine jewelry display holds pieces by Statement and Beirut-born designer Ralph Masri, and reworked vintage watches by La Californienne; just beyond are charming fortune cookie-like bags by Emma Charles. Coming soon are the the latest offerings from Bottega Veneta and Dries Van Noten, to name just a few. The store is also available for private shopping hours for VIP clients and stylist pulls.

A fresh LA transplant, the Paris-bred Heriard Dubreuil tells THR: “California has always been on my mind. I love being back in the sunshine, watching my Northern California-bred husband teach my son how to surf on the weekends. There are so many exciting things happening in L.A., especially within the art and fashion world, the energy is amazing! I have only been here a little over six months and already feel so at home, connected to this great city. Now it is time for The Webster to start its rooting process here.”

Up next for the Beverly Center space is an official partnership with the upcoming Frieze L.A. art fair. “We will be hosting a conversation next week to kick off the fair with Adjaye and Kahlil Joseph,” who created the LA space’s first commissioned installation. The panel will be moderated by LAXART executive director Hamza Walker. “There are many more exciting activations, installations and moments to come for The Webster in Los Angeles,” she says.

The Webster at the Beverly Center, 8500 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; thewebster.us