Los Angeles has a new way to showcase its homemade products.
A pop-up shop called LA Original that opened last week inside Westfield Corp.’s newly remodeled Century City mall (See related coverage, page 5) puts everything from locally made T-shirts to electric scooters on display. Any products designed, produced or assembled in Los Angeles may now bear the new “LA Original” logo.
The efforts are part of an initiative of the same name launched by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti last week to highlight and support local manufacturers and the creative economy.
The initiative is supported by the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles and the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. Besides the logo and pop-up shop, there’s also a promotional campaign highlighting local manufacturers and creators.
“Our artists and manufacturers feed the spirits and better the lives of people all over the world,” Garcetti said in a statement. “LA Original showcases that legacy, brings support to a new generation of entrepreneurs, and raises awareness of the extraordinary makers who fuel the city’s creative spirit.”
About 20 local businesses have signed up for the pop-up shop including Urb-E, maker of electric scooters; phone case maker Zero Gravity; Hedley & Bennett, which manufactures aprons; and Carrots, maker of hats and T-shirts. The creators selected for the LA Original pop-up shop signed agreements that direct a portion of sales revenue to a local nonprofit that teaches creative and entrepreneurial job skills to women trying to work their way out of homelessness,
organizers said.
The marketing campaign was created by Playa Vista-based ad agency 72andSunny, which worked with the city for the 2024 Olympics bid, along with Century City-based brand studio CAA-GBG. The new logo is part of that initiative.
“We wanted to make something that would be akin to ‘I heart N.Y.,’” said Vicki Curry, chief public information officer at the mayor’s office. “Something that would unify L.A. makers and creators.”
The new logo, a pencil-thin, connected L and A with space between the two letters, represents the space for creativity, Curry said.
– Shwanika Narayan
