(Credit: Welcome Hunters)
A breath of fresh air from the typical get-it-while-you-can mentality of shopping, it’s exciting to discover Welcome Hunters, a Chinatown boutique that goes beyond keeping up with fast fashion and indulges those on the hunt for something original by carrying—dare we say it—“exclusive” designers. Owned by Robin Cervar and partner Jason Gillis, a couple of self-professed fashion-freak music-geeks, this cozy space offers up independent fashion for those obsessed with experimental style. With the primary goal of bringing avant-garde European designer collections to Los Angeles, Welcome Hunters does just that by filling a niche that no store owner has dared to explore in a city known for bedazzled denim.
They were the first U.S. boutique to stock KTZ, the London-based label with a cult following in the new rave scene, as well as the only U.S. boutique to stock both Best Behavior, from Copenhagen, and A Bug Collection, based in Stockholm. How’s that for exclusive? Unique, brightly colored dresses and all-over graphic hoodies are carefully merchandised alongside Giorgio Brato shoes hailing from Italy. Display cases show off playful, flirty jewels by Kloset from Bangkok—the only exception to the European selection. Catering to both men and women, some of the merchandise is unisex, such as knit leggings that lend a more relaxed fit as opposed to the usual body-con style, making it safe to wear for guys who shy away from spandex. Icelandic label Mundi offers a unique approach to knitwear with their unisex zip-up sweater, complete with a hood that can also function as a mask.
How, you might ask, do they choose which labels to carry in a market that’s overflowing with new designers springing up by the day? For Gillis and Cervar, taking a conceptual, curatorial approach when deciding which designers to carry is important. Says Gillis, “If it doesn’t sell, that’s fine with us. We would rather buy based on what we like and what our gut feeling is telling us. If it’s a work of art, we want it.” So far, their instincts have paid off.
Appropriately, they’re located in the neighborhood of a fledgling art scene, surrounded by galleries galore. “We chose Chinatown as the location for the space because we felt the Westside was oversaturated with boutiques, and we wanted to be on the cusp of the emerging retail and art scene on the Eastside. Art, fashion and design are all related. I feel that we’re a nice complement to the galleries,” Gillis says. As the neighborhood continues to thrive with creativity, Welcome Hunters is indeed a welcome addition for those on the hunt for under-the-radar fashion.
