Both partners in business and in life, Kevin and Bo Carney have not only become fixtures in L.A.‘s retail scene, but also established a reputation with fashion collections. In 2008, the duo founded Mohawk, a boutique in Echo Park with a curated range of vintage furniture, and now a decade later, it has evolved into three retail spaces with expanded offerings, most notably a curated range of top fashion brands that pulls an initiated crowd to their doorstep season after season. Contributing to the Carneys’ current success in business is Smock, a contemporary fashion line which they launched only four years ago. Featuring classic silhouettes with a slight Oriental twist here and there, garments are made in Japan from quality fabrics, and capture an entire men’s wardrobe, while also featuring a concise number of women’s items. The brand has resonated well with a demographic of discerning locals, and in response Smock has been given a dedicated retail space which happens to be conveniently situated in between Mohawk‘s men’s and women’s stores in Silver Lake.
It’s an elongated, lofty space with an airy feel, thanks to a large skylight that allows in floods of daylight. Whitewashed walls optically widen the space, and form a stark contrast with a dark grey hue that covers the entire ceiling, framing both the skylight and the a large portion of the right hand wall. Horizontal wooden beams run from the middle of the store to the back, balancing out the abundance of timber in the flooring and furnishings below. The latter comprise of shelving, displays, and most notably a round table and a number of chairs by Artek, in addition to white-coloured mesh metal cabinets and sturdy clothing racks of black steel. The new Smock store to some extent lives up to the gallery-meets-living-room vibe, blending a range of props and artwork into the setting. Next to the full Smock collection, a curated selection of shoes, accessories, and lifestyle goods is available.
Smock
4015 Sunset Boulevard (Silver Lake)
Los Angeles, CA 90029
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
