Fred Segal, Iconic Staple of L.A.’s Fashion Scene, Shutters Its Last Two Stores
A stalwart of the Los Angeles retail scene has shuttered.
Fred Segal — the beloved, ivy-covered retail mecca on Melrose Avenue that birthed a chain of stores, helped set fashion trends and became a pop culture reference point in films like Clueless and Legally Blonde — closed its last two fashion locations in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, one in Malibu and the other on Sunset Boulevard. Fred Segal Home remains open in Culver City.
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Los Angeles Times broke the news Tuesday, and published an interview with Jeff Lotman who has owned the business through his brand licensing firm Global Icons since 2019. Months later, a global pandemic set in, forcing Lotman to take on an active role in the day-to-day operations. “Everything just fell apart and then I sort of had to become a retailer, which is not what I planned to do,” Lotman told the paper, adding that the closure came as a result of not offering enough of its own products. “Retail is hard and being a multi-brand retailer is even harder.”
Reached by email, Lotman declined additional comment and he referred interview requests to attorney Larry Russ, who represents the Segal family. He did not respond as of press time. Per the L.A. Times report, the Segal family owns the Fred Segal trademark and could elect to open new stores or begin selling again online. The store’s website has already been deactivated with an error message greeting visitors that it is “currently unavailable.”
“We are going to be looking for a new operator to open up more stores in the future,” Russ told the L.A. Times. Added Lotman: “Hopefully someone may pick it back up and get it to go. It is truly one of the great fashion brands out there.”
In previous interviews, Lotman had been bullish on Fred Segal’s potential. He told Fashion Network in January 2023 that the plan was to become a billion-dollar brand backed by a global expansion.
“Fred Segal has strong global awareness. The company is continually growing. No other brand represents Los Angeles and the cool California lifestyle better than we do,” he said at the time, adding that plans were in process for stores in Europe and Asia. “At a time when some department stores are closing their doors and struggling to stay alive, our multi-brand concept store is becoming more and more appealing. Our expansion is underway, and we are committed to never damaging the Fred Segal legacy.”
The legacy dates back to 1961 when the store, then called Pants America, moved into the Melrose Avenue location. As it grew in size, it also expanded to feature other brands and boutiques, becoming a trend-setter in the process as well as a celebrity and fashionista mecca in Los Angeles. As such, it worked its way into pop culture and was name-checked in a number of films and TV shows like Beverly Hills, 90210.
Who can forget Alicia Silverstone’s Cher stomping her way through her palatial mansion in Clueless and asking housekeeper Lucy to help her find that “white collarless shirt from Fred Segal,” because “it’s my most capable looking outfit.” Or the scene in Legally Blonde when Reese Witherspoon’s Elle Woods recalls seeing Cameron Diaz at Fred Segal just last week. “I talked her out of buying this truly heinous angora sweater. Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed,” Elle says.
Fred Segal was on the tip of many tongues this week as news of its closure spread across the city. Shoppers took to the brand’s Instagram account to share memories and express condolences (with some even asking what to do about store credit). While others were mourning yet another loss on L.A.’s retail landscape.
Anya Varda, the veteran Chateau Marmont gatekeeper and expert on social currency, took to Instagram to share the news on Tuesday. “There was nothing more exciting in the ’90s than to receive a gift in a Fred Segal box,” she posted. “You knew that whatever was in it was going to be the coolest ever.”
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