Paloma Wool was founded in 2014 by Paloma Lanna, and in its dozen years has steadily become something of a cult label. Having started primarily online, the Barcelona-based brand has gained fans globally, and in 2024 started showing its distinctive collections at Paris Fashion Week. After pop-up stores appearing regularly in various cities over the years, Paloma Wool is now establishing permanent spaces: last week, its store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles opened.
This is the brand’s fourth permanent location, after opening in New York, London and Barcelona. ‘Los Angeles has played a significant part in our story, so opening here felt like a natural evolution,’ says Lanna. ‘We had a temporary store on the same street two years ago, and from the very beginning, we felt at home in the neighbourhood. There was a real sense of comfort and belonging that made it difficult to imagine being anywhere else.’
Inside Paloma Wool’s Los Angeles store
The light-filled space was designed with longtime collaborator Max Milà, who has worked with Paloma Wool on other stores, each of which is a response to its unique setting rather than a replication of another. ‘This particular space immediately stood out because of its extraordinary natural light,’ says Lanna. ‘Depending on the time of day, the space feels and looks different, which brings a sense of movement and life to the experience. Even now, coming into the space each day feels like a genuine treat.’ The bright interior is stripped back, with its high ceilings exposed and white walls offering a contrast to lacquered black furnishings and metal fixtures, alongside bespoke lighting by Milà. It’s fitting for a brand whose pieces sit at the intersection of pretty and edgy, smart and relaxed. The overall effect echoes the DNA of Paloma Wool: pared-back yet featuring striking points of interest, and contemporary in a somehow timeless way.
The window of the Paloma Wool store on Barcelona’s Avenue Diagonal hosts installations by guest artists – most recently an intricate dollhouse by Petra Collins – and this tradition of creative collaboration continues at the LA store. A video piece by Carlota Guerrero shows live feeds from the store fitting rooms and the footfall outside on a series of screens, blurring the line between the public and the private. ‘What happens inside is visible from the outside, and what happens outside becomes visible from within, creating a continuous exchange between the two worlds,’ explains Lanna. Referencing both Guerrero’s personal photography practice and LA’s celebrity culture, ‘Retail Theatre’ is an unexpected upheaval of traditional window displays. Fittingly, to celebrate the store’s opening, the piece has been ‘activated’ this week by a series of familiar faces, including Isabelle Albuquerque, Rachel Sennott and Chloe Cherry.
Paloma Wool’s physical spaces are important ways of connecting with its community; as Lanna says, making ‘our online project tangible’. ‘While digital platforms have been essential to our growth, there is something irreplaceable about meeting people in person, sharing experiences, and creating meaningful interactions around the work,’ she says.
The unique space offers not just a backdrop for exceptional and interesting clothes, but Paloma Wool’s multihyphenate interests and unique perspective. ‘I want the space to be somewhere people enjoy spending time, rather than simply passing through. Whether someone is visiting with friends or simply enjoying a day to themselves, I hope they leave feeling they have had a meaningful and enjoyable experience,’ Lanna says. ‘More than anything, I hope people feel at ease here and leave with the sense that they have spent time in a thoughtful, warm, and inviting place.’
Paloma Wool, 8410 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles.
