Still Here Heads West With Its First Los Angeles Store
Images via Still Here/Sean Davidson
Still Here has officially arrived in Los Angeles. Its new Melrose store marks the brand’s first move beyond New York.
Still Here has officially made its way to Los Angeles. The New York denim brand has opened its first store outside of the city on Melrose Avenue, bringing a little of its downtown sensibility to the West Coast. Founded by husband and wife Sonia and Maurice Mosseri in 2018, Still Here has grown largely around the idea of making really good jeans without constantly reinventing what denim needs to be. That approach has clearly worked. The brand now has four stores across New York, including Nolita, Madison Avenue, Williamsburg and the West Village, and Los Angeles marks its fifth location. More importantly, it feels like a natural next step for a label that has quietly become a favorite among people like Zoë Kravitz, Hailey Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Emma Chamberlain. Los Angeles was already Still Here’s largest online market outside of New York, making the decision to open there fairly easy.
The new Melrose store carries the pieces that have built Still Here’s following, including the Cool Jean, Sport Jean and newer 11 Jean, alongside Colors, its collection of simple shirts, tees and sweatshirts. There is also a Vintage Room, the largest Still Here has created so far, filled with vintage ready to wear, sterling silver accessories and eyewear. Local vintage curators will rotate through the space throughout the year, giving the Los Angeles store something that feels specific to the city rather than simply recreating New York in California. Beginning with Spring 2027, Still Here will take that idea even further with colorways exclusive to Los Angeles. Sonia Mosseri also sees the customer there a little differently. With fewer layers required by the climate, she expects more attention to fall on fit, shape and the way a pair of jeans actually sits on the body.
The store itself was designed with New York studio Husband Wife, the same team behind Still Here’s Williamsburg location. Familiar elements from the brand’s other spaces appear throughout, including its denim grid, vintage furniture and a mix of wood and metal, but the point does not seem to be creating another identical retail formula. That feels especially right for Still Here. The brand has built an eight figure business while remaining self funded, and has reportedly grown tenfold over the past three years without leaning heavily on collaborations, constant sales or an endless stream of newness. Around 80 percent of its business now comes directly from customers, with physical retail and ecommerce contributing almost equally to those sales. For a brand built around something as personal as the fit of a pair of jeans, stores have become an increasingly important part of that relationship.
There is also something fitting about Still Here choosing Los Angeles for its first move beyond New York. Denim belongs naturally to both cities, just in completely different ways. Still Here can bring its distinctly New York point of view to Melrose without pretending its Los Angeles customer will wear it exactly the same way. In fact, that difference may be what makes this expansion interesting. A Cool Jean styled in Nolita can feel completely different under the California sun, and Still Here seems willing to let the city influence what comes next. Rather than treating the new store as simply another address, the brand is giving Los Angeles its own vintage selection, exclusive colors and room to develop its own relationship with the clothes. It is a smart way to grow without making Still Here suddenly feel much bigger than the brand people fell for in the first place.