Yes, Cerre
Cerre may come off as one of those thoroughly modern fashion brands — creating cutting-edge clothes for girls so fashion-y, they might have majored in Personal Style.
But in fact, the five-year-old brand has always taken cues from venerable fashion houses when plotting its course (and its place in the fashion stratosphere). Like Hermès and Louis Vuitton, the L.A.-based label started out as a leather goods company, fashioning low-key, high-quality handbags out of supple, buttery soft leathers. The East Side hipsters came running.
But currently, the label — which is owned and designed by husband-and-wife team Clayton and Flavie Webster — is in the midst of morphing into a full-fledged women's fashion brand that bucks trends in favor of subtle detailing and exquisite fabrics.
The past few seasons have seen the introduction separates, dresses and outerwear — most of it black, much of it rendered in the same silky leathers as its satchels.
We caught up with Clayton to talk about how Cerre became one of L.A.'s most compelling fashion imprints.
CERRE MATES: Clayton and Flavie Webster inside a photo booth.
Style Section L.A.: Where did you and Flavie meet?
Clayton Webster: We met on a train from Germany to Paris one morning. We were both models. We did a lot of runway, so in between seasons we were working as fit models. It was there that we learned what we liked and didn’t like [in fashion]. We learned not necessarily the craft of making bags, but more how things should be done in a luxury couture house, versus a brand. From there we moved to California [Clayton's from Newport Beach; Flavie's from Bordeaux, France]. Then we spent a couple of years teaching ourselves how to [design].
When did you start delving into clothing?
The seasonal collections came about when we opened the shop last April [@ 1647 N. Las Palmas Ave. in Hollywood]. I think we might be doing it a little sooner than we anticipated. It’s not full collections as of yet. But having the store gives us some freedom to try things out.
DANCIN' DAZE: A camel-toned leather jacket and silk shirt from the brand's Spring collection.
Tell me a little about how the new-ish boutique came together.
We basically got the space and spent eight months on the shop part. I have construction experience – so we designed and built the shop out of 100-year-old wood and reclaimed metal. It was all hand-done by us and a few friends. We have an atelier in the back that we started working in almost immediately.
How would you describe the Cerre aesthetic?
What we wanted it to be is something in between the younger brands, like Rick Owens and Maison Martin Margiela, and some of the more established, craft-based lines like Hermès. We’re not into the modern silhouettes, but we do like this Los Angeles-Western-rock aesthetic. There are certain things about the old houses that we love – the time-consuming craftsmanship, for instance – that aren’t economical at all. But for us, it’s really important that we take the time to make it right. We spent the past six months just learning cashmere. We sourced the cashmere from the same place Hermes does.
We veer away from things like Comme des Garcons, where the line is more conceptual and the silhouttes are more sculptural. We tend to go more toward things like Alaïa. Sex appeal is somthing we want to keep in the brand.
FORWARD MOTION: A hooded goat-suede dress from the Spring collection.
The Spring collection is so airy and fluid. What was the inspiration?
My wife says it's the French Riviera meets the Sahara Desert. There’s a lot of black – as usual – and a lot of a camel/sand tone.
What are a some of the stand-out pieces in your mind?
We have a short jacket that has a flooor-length scarf that unzips off. The scarf is the collar and it’s really light and flowy. We had more variations on the leather camel-toned tank tops and vest (we did a vest with a lot of volume in the back). There are also pencil and leather dresses.
What type of fashion fan gravitates to Cerre?
That's been really interesting. We’ve had a lot of low-profile, high-style people. We're building relationships; we have a yard out back, and when it’s not raining, we’ll do dinners and wine.
Cerre is available at the brand's shop – 1647 N. Las Palmas Ave. in Hollywood – and at the Church boutique in L.A. Prices range from $50 for a hand-carved bracelet to $4,000 for a floor-length leather dress-jacket lined in cashmere.