Los Angeles has always been something to talk about; and now, more than ever, it’s something to write about. L.A., the vibrantly mixed marketplace for design in all of its’ forms, introduces two new artistic publications to its current repertoire and to the PDC’s Fall Market participants.
Meet LALA and DesignLA: each publication shares the cities’ iconic acronym and love of everything Los Angeles design, but differ in their stories. GDG sat down with the editor in chiefs of these publications to learn about their L.A. Stories and their excitement for market. Seasoned interviewers turned interviewees:
- What peaked your interest regarding the concept of LALA, before accepting your role there?
I’ve always worked in publishing. I worked as an editor at Departures, Architectural Digest, Angeleno Magazine + Interiors California, and it seemed I always came into these magazines with these great heritages and established histories, so it’s exciting to launch something new. Right now there is so much happening and tons of creative people moving here, living here, and LALA is capturing that in the magazine. We have a blank slate to develop these stories, using our sister publication Cultured as a guide.
- How are you feeling about participating in the PDC Fall Market?
We’re really excited to lead the afternoon keynote, which is a testament to the fact we’ve received such an amazing response from our launch issue. I’ve personally worked with the PDC in the past, and they are such an important part of the L.A. design community. We’re excited to show them LALA. We also have an amazing panel. The PDC is opening the conversation focusing on creative thinkers across the industry, and we are excited to explore that.
- Why do you think L.A. is the epicenter of migratory artisans and innovators?
L.A. has always attracted dreamers and adventurers, it’s part of the city’s history all the way back to when settlers colonized it. Then Hollywood attracted people who moved here from somewhere else. A big part of LALA is telling these stories of L.A. newcomers. When we’re putting together profiles we do tend to get into when they got here and how they got ‘into’ L.A. culture. Most seem to come to find creative inspiration through the weather, the space, the quality of life. It seems L.A. is in the midst of a modern creative renaissance and this is such an amazing place to create and inspire so many talented artisans across multiple disciplines. The community is supportive of people because everyone is an outsider in L.A., and we all want L.A. to be thriving.
- What’s your ‘L.A. Story’? How did the L.A. Culture and arts scene shape you?
People are really paying attention to what’s happening in L.A. I went to the University of Southern California and then returned home to the NYC area in 2007, ultimately returning to L.A. Seven years later I am still in Los Angeles, and I have watched the city grow up. For me living in L.A is incredible inspiring. I live in Rustic Canyon, right by the beach in a neighborhood filled with incredible architecture and people. Being surrounded by creative people all the time is in itself inspiring, and makes everything seem like a possibility. There’s this L.A. excitement where everything feels better – not to sound cliché, but when you wake up in the morning and it’s sunny outside it creates an environment that’s very conducive to being creative and feeling that you can take that time to focus on your work. The stresses of the city aren’t really there and seem far away. I think it’s a testament to everything to going on that there are so many stories to tell.
New York is my home and my heart and it feels like who I am at my core, but there’s no place more inspiring than L.A. right now.
- What peaked your interest regarding the concept of DesignLA before accepting your role there?
I’d been developing the DesignLA concept for a year or so before bringing the idea to the Los Angeles Times. There’s so much happening in Los Angeles now, and no one publication was really connecting the dots and addressing the city’s amazing cultural life as a whole. I was also tired of seeing The New York Times tell our Los Angeles stories! We have some of the world’s most influential designers and architects working here. International art galleries are migrating here, and new museums are flourishing. Los Angeles style is setting the tone for the fashion world. So things were reaching critical mass across different disciplines, and we needed a magazine to reflect that.
There’s a tremendous cross-pollination going on in L.A. now, and that’s energizing the entire city. It’s revitalizing our economy as well. I wanted to create a magazine that didn’t stay in one lane editorially, and the Los Angeles Times was eager to take that approach, too, and to bring that vision to its extraordinary audience.
- How are you feeling about participating in the PDC Fall Market?
I’ve done several keynotes at the PDC over the years, and it’s always rewarding. This year’s theme, L.A. Stories, is particularly timely, as Los Angeles is such a vibrant mix of different voices, pathways and ethnicities. It’s important for us to celebrate these stories, and to listen to them and learn from them.
- Why do you think L.A. is the epicenter of migratory artisans and innovators?
Los Angeles is one of the world’s largest marketplaces for design in all its forms. And that creates tremendous opportunities. This is the land of the new, a place where innovation is valued whether its in film, architecture, fashion or furniture design. If you’re a talented artisan, your skills will be utilized here. If you’re an innovator, you will be able to tap into a community of artisans who can realize your visions. There’s a back-and-forth that keeps things interesting and moving forward.
The world is looking to Los Angeles now both as a source of inspiration and as a vital marketplace for their own goods. What is created in Los Angeles, and what we embrace here, drives the international conversation in many ways. And our multi-cultural community naturally speaks to a global audience.
- Why does L.A. have such a hold on the creative spirit? How does it keep this spirit fresh?
Los Angeles is still a relatively new city, and there’s a feeling that things are still wide-open here. People come here to remake themselves and to embark on new ventures. And, come on, it’s a beautiful place where the sun always shines! We have our challenges, too, and we’re balancing our utopian and dystopian realities every day. There’s an urgency and excitement to that.
- What’s your ‘L.A. Story’? Where did you grow up? How did the L.A. Culture and arts scene shape you?
I like to say that I moved to Los Angeles for one year thirty-two years ago. I grew up in the Chicago area and was living in New York when Architectural Digest offered me a job in Los Angeles. I always thought I’d return to New York, the “center of the universe.” But as I became immersed in the design community here, I began to look at the country from a different perspective: the West. And that shift in perspective was exciting to me. I eventually launched Western Interiors magazine to explore that new perspective, and now I’m thrilled to be focusing on Los Angeles itself through DesignLA.
