Shopping Local

Pacific Palisades-Based Clothing Lines Offer Ways to Shop Local This Holiday Season

By LILY TINOCO

and SARAH SHMERLING

I

n need of clothes and gift ideas? Shop local by supporting these Pacific Palisades-based clothing lines.

LATE Clothing LA

LATE Clothing LA, founded by Paul Revere Charter Middle School student Lalia Susini in 2021, has a line of loungewear available for purchase.

Prior to the launch, Lalia suffered an accident at home on October 22, 2020, which resulted in left-side paralysis and brain damage. She remained in critical condition for five days.

Lalia spent nearly three weeks at Cedars Sinai before being transferred to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she participated in physical and occupational therapy for the next two years.

“The loungewear line was created shortly after Lalia was released from inpatient care at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in 2021,” according to a statement from the brand. “Beginning in 2022, Lalia and her brother, Maxou Susini, joined forces to design and continue the efforts of LATE Clothing. The siblings have been lucky enough to see directly where their contributions have benefited the rehabilitation department of CHLA.”

A portion of proceeds from sales have, and “always will be,” donated to the hospital.

LATE Clothing offers an assortment of T-shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts and sweatpants, jackets, hoodies, and accessories. The line has also collaborated with Palisadian Jamie Lee Curtis, launching the My Hand in Yours collection.

“I love that so many people in our community continue to support LATE,” Lalia said. “I met Jamie Lee Curtis at CHLA and immediately we wanted to do a collaboration to support the hospital we both love and admire. Even in the middle of awards season, Jamie and I were creating our sweats and planning ahead for our next collaboration.”

The collaboration features a special edition hoodie and sweatpant.

“Adorned with the My Hand in Yours logo over the heart, it’s a wearable testament to our mission of compassion and giving,” according to the item description. “Every purchase directly contributes to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, helping us extend our hand of support.”

lateclothingla.com

City Threads

Run by Highlands residents Joe Willis and Shayna Samuels, Palisadians can turn to City Threads for children’s clothing and comfortable basics.

City Threads was founded by Samuels in 2002 while Willis was in graduate school at USC. When Samuels needed assistance with the growing company, Willis agreed to help for six months and “here we are,” he previously said.

Their objective, the two explained, was to create items that boast a good quality and nice fabric, are super comfortable, and remain at a fair price point. And everything is made in Los Angeles.

Willis and Samuels said that it has been “a long and interesting road.”

“We learned as we went,” the couple said. “We drove all over LA and had to quickly figure out how to make clothing by asking the experienced patternmakers, sewers, fabric salesman, cutters and dye houses who [had] been doing it for decades and were willing to share their knowledge.

“We [would] see what was selling well and try to make more for the next season, which worked for a time, but then times would change, significantly … We’ve had to overhaul our entire line multiple times to keep up, and through these changes, though difficult, the journey helped us transform our brand into a more authentic expression of what we love about clothes.”

City Threads began with zip-hoodies adorned with an embroidery of city names—hence the name City Threads—and has expanded to a complete collection of basics for babies, boys, girls, women and men.

“Our motto is that comfort comes first, and that has guided us to select the softest fabrics and comfortable styles that fit well and feel good,” Willis and Samuels said.

Alongside essential tops, bottoms, dresses and leggings, City Threads also offers organic cotton underwear and pajamas, 100% cotton athletic wear, and UPF 50+ swimwear.

The Fall & Winter Collection, with “soft and cozy thermals” and “soft and warm heavier thermals,” is now available.

citythreads.com