Shades of grey, a desirable and anti-conformist brand

In Highland Park, a neighborhood East of Los Angeles, Shades of grey, the label by designer Micah Cohen, has just opened its second boutique. It opened its first store in the Arts District at Row DTLA, two years ago. In the center of York Boulevard, a former space rumored to have been a prison a few decades ago, hosts the American designer’s collections in a brick and wood decor. On the racks, contemporary menswear, timeless and elegant, with meticulous, modern cuts, perfectly in tune with the times. Contrary to general practice, Shades of Grey relies neither on marketing nor on influencers to advance, and is gradually weaving its network.

FashionNetwork: Was your brand inspired by the film ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’?

M.C: Not at all! (laugh). I started the brand in 2009 before the books/movies came out. The name is really about finding the middle (i.e not one extreme or the other) in terms of overall design and approachability, as well as with the price point. In terms of design, I’m aiming for the space between the aggressively fashion forward and the too basic fashion, and trying to make some elements of progressive fashion more accessible, wearable and long lasting. And, while the price point isn’t inexpensive or cheap, it’s also generally less than most contemporary fashion brands with comparable quality and design. 

FNW: What is your background ?

M.C: I was raised and born in Los Angeles, went to Pitzer College with a B.A in media studies then I graduated from the FIDM, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, with an AA in Apparel Manufacturing in 2004. I started doing freelance for a couple of years, I started working for a private label in China, then launched Shades of Grey. I design the men’s collections. My wife designs the women’s collections, which are currently on hold due to the birth of our child.

FNW: Two years after opening your first boutique in Row DTLA, you’ve just opened your second in Highland Park. How did the decision come about?

M.C: We had a store in Culver City at Platform first then we closed it during the pandemic. They couldn’t offer a short term lease so we decided to move to the Row DTLA. It took a while for it to get going. Tartine started at the Row and it convinced us to open there even though it closed a few months later. After two complicated years due to the pandemic, business was back in 2022 and we started looking for a new store.

FNW: Why Highland Park, a neighborhood in East Los Angeles?

M.C: Our calculation was to find a store with acceptable rents and foot traffic. We looked at Silver Lake, Larchmont, but the rents were too high. Culver City just wasn’t what we wanted. Abbot Kinney was even more expensive than Silver Lake. There’s just no way for a tiny brand with two owners, two employees and part-time employees. We had to put the actual profitability first before a great exposure. Financially it has to make sense. Logic has prevailed as we live three minutes from Highland Park, in Eagle Rock.

FNW: Highland Park is currently a very dynamic retail area. Is it a good investment?

M.C: Highland Park is made up of two major streets. York Boulevard felt like a neighborhood street and brings a neighborhood vibe. Figueroa Street is a bigger street that already has other fashion names. We almost consider ourselves as a neighborhood brand. So we signed up for this very central boutique surrounded by stores.

FNW: Are you more interested in retail strategy than wholesale?

M.C: We started out as a wholesaler and decided to focus exclusively on the direct consumer only. We do more business in stores and online business represents 40% of our sales. Also, growing online is a different world. We are able to communicate what the brand is and what we are about in this setting, and in a much more effective way than what we can do online. A lot of our business is repeat customers and we have very loyal customers. A part of what we do is about personal relationships and it’s hard to do human interaction online. Having stores, being in the real life, being able to touch the fabrics and try our clothes, makes it easier for people to see our value propositions. And I want to open more stores!

FNW: You’re not relying on marketing, but is it possible to overlook it these days?

M.C: We don’t do any marketing, we don’t do editorial coverages, we don’t work with influencers but we do Instagram ads. Nor do we say that we work with dead stock, but that we work with existing rolls of material available in small quantities. We prefer transparency to greenwashing. Retail is also definitely the largest growth avenue for us. Our two last weeks here in Highland Park have been good. Customers enter and buy. If we can find areas which are similar to our store in Highland Park – up and coming, where the rent has not exploded yet, I think it’s a business model that makes sense. 

FNW: Which areas might interest you?

M.C:  We know from our online sales that our markets are in Brooklyn and New York City, followed by San Francisco, Austin, Dallas, Houston and Miami.

FNW: You’ve put the women’s collections on hold. Will they be coming back?

M.C: Yes, the women’s collections will be back. I’m very transparent with customers when they ask. The real reason is that we have a four-year-old baby. And we did not have enough time to continue. We want to dedicate fully! Let’s wait another year or two.

FNW: Why are your clothes made in China?

M.C: Right after design school, when I was freelancing for a private label in China, our production manager was leaving the company to start a family factory in her hometown. She has been my manufacturer since the beginning. It’s a very small family factory. We do small-scale productions with them, around 50 to 60 pieces per style. Today, it’s possible to work and produce with Chinese factories that are ethical and capable of delivering real quality. Manufacturing in the U.S. would be virtually impossible today.

FNW: What are the best sellers? And how will you develop the men’s collections in the future?

M.C: Our pants work very well. Our fits are very good. Like our faux-leather shorts and our tank tops. Our shirts and outerwear collections are also doing well. For coming fall, we’ll be offering more casual suiting. I’m excited by that extension. The pandemic was focused on loungewear, sweats and casual wear. Now, casual suiting is coming back, to wear with a tank top, a T-shirt, like in the early 90’s.