Zainab

In a city as sprawling and expansive as Los Angeles, how does a brand-new boutique get noticed? By thinking small, as in intimate, if you are Zainab Sumu, who just opened Zainab (zainabonline.com). Sumu (who is known as just Zainab) had grown out of the appointment-only business she was running from her Hollywood apartment. Yet the success of that salon-style environment—curated objects from Africa next to labels like Comme des Garçons, Martin Margiela, and Balmain, all of which could be viewed while sipping a cup of Mariages Frères tea—prompted her to retain the homey, private atmosphere when she opened Zainab at 7021 Melrose in Hollywood. Be warned: The storefront is barely visible as you drive by, but it’s definitely worth hitting the brakes for. The inside (designed by J. Jean Claude Samuel and Seyie Potsure) contains a selection of mostly young up-and-comers like Jeremy Laing, Ohne Titel, Richard Nicoll, Jasmin Shokrian, and jeweler Alyssa Norton. On one wall there is a shoe alcove devoted to the shoe god Azzedine Alaïa, while an ancient African wooden sculpture nearby sets the tone for what Zainab calls the store’s “primitive modern” aesthetic, which she has perfected after her many years of globe-trotting.

Zainab came to Los Angeles by way of New York, Paris, London, and her native Sierra Leone. She left a job at Comme de Garçons in New York to be a buyer at H. Lorenzo in Beverly Hills—not to mention to be with her then-boyfriend. Now Zainab has established herself as a fully-fledged Angeleno, embracing the city, which reminds her more and more of her home: For her, it’s all to do with the landscape, with the Santa Monica Mountains’ meeting the Pacific recalling the geography of where she came from. When you visit the store, more than likely she’ll be the one to welcome you in before rattling off tales of her childhood, travels, and latest obsessions (Natalia Brilli’s cool black leather accessories, Tom Scott’s knits). The only downside? Having to find a parking spot on the corner near La Brea and Melrose. But that’s just a small price to pay.

(Vogue.com)

Photo: Zachary Cornwell