What are the odds to make it big if you call your brand Madhappy? We’re guessing a solid dose of positivity and a little bravado might just do the trick. Founded only in 2017 by high school buddies Joshua Sitt, Peiman Raf, Noah Raf and Mason Spector, the streetwear brand has resonated quite well with the current juvenile zeitgeist – read: the founders’ contemporaries – and given the star-studded home turf, it was also picked up by a number of celebrities as an added bonus. Acknowledging the power of retail and immediate interaction with the fanbase, Madhappy launched a string of pop-up stores in different cities early on, from several locations at home base Los Angeles to New York City, Chicago and Miami, but also in swanky resorts such as East Hampton and Aspen. Shifting gear in the retail segment, the street brand has recently inaugurated its first permanent retail space on the boutique-infested grounds of West Hollywood in Los Angeles. Mind you, Madhappy‘s successful format drew attention from none other than LVMH, leading to a USD 1.8 million investment which has surely contributed its growing retail profile.
The new Madhappy standalone store occupies 260 sqm. (2,800 sq.ft.) on the premises of a low-rise structure which was originally built in 1962, and similarly to the previous pop-up stores, creative practice PLAYLAB, INC. was tapped to create the interior design. Uncluttered yet infused with colour, the store sees a backdrop of whitewashed walls, some with recessed shelving and display space, and flooring dipped in a blue shade for custom-made furnishings. The latter range from modular stacked display units and cubic stools, to faux stone benches and wall-embedded speakers. To keep the fanbase on its toes and come back for more, the store also comes with a dedicated room for a rotation of audiovisual showcases, and the first one is by Canadian artist Khotin. The new Madhappy store carries the brand’s full range of men’s and women’s apparel, accessories and shoes. A shaded patio with a tree separates the store from Pantry by Madhappy, the store’s very own café which not only serves coffee of cult coffee brand Hotel Drugs, tea, pastries, but also goods of a string of other food and grocery brands.
Madhappy
8906 Melrose Avenue (West Hollywood)
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Mon-Fri 11am-7pm
Sat 10am-7pm
Su 10am-6pm
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.
