Something Navy Fetes L.A. Expansion
Something Navy has arrived to Los Angeles: The New York-based brand, founded by influencer Arielle Charnas, has opened a store at 8478 B Melrose Place.
To mark the occasion Charnas hosted an intimate dinner on Thursday with friends — Molly Sims, Rachel Zoe, Jean Watts, Jennifer Meyer, Whitney Port, Erica Pelosini, Carmen Jorda, Meeka Hossain, Megan Roup and Danny Amendola — at hot spot Il Ristorante di Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica by the Pacific Palisades.
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“Here’s the thing, I absolutely did not plan a thing,” said Zoe, raising a toast. “I absolutely did not think I would do this until one second ago, but Arielle doesn’t like to speak. So it’s been two years of insanity, I think probably for everyone in this room. But I do want to say that Arielle is a dear friend of mine from New York, and she doesn’t come here that often. And it’s very exciting that Something Navy is now in L.A.”
Charnas admitted she had a hard time public speaking. “My whole life,” she said. “But this is exciting.”
Courtesy/Marc Patrick
Something Navy has a retail presence in Orange County as well, with sights on other markets. The brand markets itself as offering “fashion staples” and “elevated essentials.” There’s also activewear, maternity wear, resort, home and bath. The latest collection for spring 2022 offers ribbed tops in solid black and nudes with matching flare pants, at $115 each, printed jackets, sweaters, tops, crochet dresses and denim, with the entirety priced between $95 and $425.
“Two-and-a-half years ago — feels like 20 years ago, sometimes it feels like two months ago — I ended up in the Something Navy office,” said chief executive officer Matt Scanlan. He joined Charnas, who has a loyal online following of 1.3 million Instagram followers, to launch in 2020, and the brand grossed $1 million in 30 minutes, according to the two.
“There’s ups, and there’s downs, and building a brand is really hard and exciting, and obviously the last year has been crazy,” he continued. “We launched right in the middle of COVID-19. It’s crazy. You’re not supposed to do that. You’re not supposed to open up a women’s clothing store that sells bathing suits and dresses when no one is wearing them, but we did it. Tonight is a very special occasion. We’re opening up stores on the West Coast, expanding rapidly. Something Navy is a meteor, and we’re just taking off.”
Courtesy/Marc Patrick
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