In Oakland, fashion retail makes San Francisco jealous

After twenty years of climbing the crime ladder, Oakland has been enjoying a new lease on life for the past few months. Long in the shadow of San Francisco, this symbol of American diversity – almost 50% of its population is Black and Latino – is showing a new optimism, with cutting-edge fashion boutiques opening in recent months.

A new vintage clothing scene, Oakland now boasts around twenty vintage specialists including Mercy Vintage, The Sunshine Prophecy, Sola Lucy, Black Bear Apparel, Down at Lulu’s and Mira Flores. In recent months, the city has also seen the emergence of a number of new boutiques, including Relove, opened in 2014 at 1815 Polk Street in San Francisco by Ethiopian-born Californian entrepreneur Delia Hailechristos, whose second store opened a stone’s throw from the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland in 2023.
 
Housed in a two-storey 1920s building, this new temple of vintage, with arches and columns on the first floor, offers a wide selection ranging from luxury vintage with brands such as Loewe, Dries Van Noten and Marc Jacobs, to creative Japanese labels such as Junya Watanabe, Doublet, Facetasm, workwear brands, and other couture pieces.

Arranged by genre and color, Relove’s wardrobe rubs shoulders with works of art belonging to the owner, such as paintings by local artist Jereme Mendez, or the in situ fresco dedicated to voguing by Devynn Barnes. The ground-floor lounge is occupied by objects for the home, candlesticks and ceramics from Mexico, a collection of vintage glasses and shoes.

 
“Oakland is the heart of the whole Bay Area,” said Hailechristos. “All my creative friends live, create, work and perform here. The music, art and fashion scene is unlike anywhere else in the world. So it was only natural to open a boutique here. Oakland is a radical city, but one that doesn’t draw the spotlight to itself.”
 
Oakland natives Marco Verdin and Tai Raino-Tsui, one the son of immigrants from El Salvador, the other a native American, opened their 3319 Marché in spring 2023, a hybrid fashion boutique combining vintage and contemporary offerings, conceived in place of a former hairdressing salon and designed as an art gallery, with furniture on display, live upcycling performances and curation of art objects and books.
 
“We’ve created 3319 to appear as ambiguous as possible, throughout platforms both digitally and physically,” explained the founders. “3319 is pioneering a new culture in Oakland, with a blend of elegance yet localized roots. The brand focuses on a range of artistic mediums: music, art, and fashion. Blending these three mediums in a highly curated way has given our brand a reputation foreign to its market, and allowed us to operate as much more than just a physical retail operation.”

 
The racks at 3319 Marché feature a mix of haute couture-avant-garde brands “not offered in any tangible way in the neighborhood,” added the founders, including Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Issey Miyake, Rick Owens, Craig Green, Martin Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto, Loewe and Kiko Kostadinov. Until the end of April, 3319 Marché is also home to the Dial Ring showroom, featuring second-hand items from brands such as Miu Miu, Comme des Garçons, Fendi, Marni, Prada and Raf Simons.
 
Another Oakland reference, Standard & Strange, a multi-brand dedicated to crafted, heritage menswear, was founded by Jeremy Smith and Neil Berrett. “We started out in 2012 as two guys selling our own denim with a tiny 200-square-foot space in a back alley in Oakland. We saw that people wanted a warm, friendly, inclusive store that sold the denim and other gear we were wearing at the time,” said the founders.

“The first space we occupied had originally been the municipal stables for the City of Oakland. Then we moved into a new space around the corner to 5010 Telegraph Avenue, which is one of the oldest masonry buildings in Oakland.”
 
After opening a second boutique in Santa Fe in 2019, the founders of Standard & Strange opened their third boutique at 238 Mulberry Street in Soho in 2021. Each boutique presents a different selection of well-made brands and pieces which have a strong narrative or story behind them. These include a large contingent of Japanese brands, with flagship denim by Momotaro, Kapital and OrSlow, ready-to-wear by Visvim and Porter luggage. Other heritage and craft brands complete the selection, including German Merz B.Schwanen, American John Gluckow and French De Bonne Facture. The company also sells its own collection and its Mizunara Single Cask Whiskey brand, made in California.

Another sign of the Oakland creativity was the opening in 2023 of a brand-new concept store called Two-Two, founded by Portland-born entrepreneur CC Doan, halfway between pop-up, gallery and boutique, bringing together the offbeat fashions of international designers, particularly from Asia. 

“I first explored boutique opportunities in San Francisco and Oakland,” explained Doan. “In the end, I found the space in Grand Lake and all the right elements came together to make me feel like it could be a place for fashion, craft, and creative community. Because we have multiple ways people can discover and engage with our curation and also connect with each other, people don’t see us as just a boutique. Someone may come in and shop one day, attend a creative workshop the next time, or come with friends to a pop-up we host with other creatives or artists. We get to witness people as multi-faceted beings, not just as customers. I think in that way there is demand for being seen authentically, to have a sense of belonging or connection with others, and to cater to self expression as a whole.”

At the Two-Two boutique, emerging designers and brands, with an emphasis on everyday wearable pieces, are displayed as if in an art gallery.

“These designers are often at a very sweet spot of both establishing their voice while having plenty of edge and playfulness to their approach and presentation. Caro Chia, Yusho Kobayashi, Lou Badger, Fey Fey Worldwide, Devastates and Grounds to name a few,” added Doan.

“Then there are designers and artists who I’ve met along my own creative journey over the years and having a space has brought us together to collaborate, like jewelry brand Ino, incense brand Hyungi, and ceramics by Studio Hecha. 

Another original initiative is that of Oakland-born designer Shauncy “Salt” Jackson, who transformed her backyard into a safe space for community events hosted by her non-profit Oakland Don’t Play Inc. She converted a storage container into a retail store where she sells her clothing line, Oakland Don’t Play (ODP).
 
“ODP is more than just a clothing brand,” explained Jackson, via her website. “It’s a movement to remind the world that Oakland stands strong for its people, land, and unwavering commitment to equality. Inspired by the injustices faced by our community, ODP creates bold, fashion-forward clothing that proudly showcases Oakland pride. From the vibrant streets of Fruitvale to the serene shores of Lake Merritt, our designs capture the essence of our city and the spirit of its people.”