Brooklyn-based womenswear label Merlette is opening its first physical location in Montecito, Calif., the tony Santa Barbara suburb that’s been getting a steady stream of new retail stores including Loro Piana, Zegna, Bottega Veneta, Brunello Cucinelli and a new development in the works at Rick Caruso’s Rosewood Miramar Beach hotel.
It’s a return for designer Marina Cortbawi, who first tested Merlette in California with short-term pop-ups in Venice Beach and Newport Beach eight years ago.
“It’s a coming home moment, because that was where I knew I had a brand concept that would work,” she said.
Located at The Post — a new shopping destination from the owners of Culver City’s indoor-outdoor complex Platform — the 700-square-foot Montecito shop isn’t permanent; opening to the public Dec. 1, it will operate until May 2025. But Cortbawi hopes to keep it going.
“We have the option to renew and an intention to stay, to be successful,” said Cortbawi, who’s originally from Australia. “It’s really just a way of testing for us, but in a lower-risk way, as a young brand without investors.”
A first look at the Merlette shop in Montecito, Calif.
Courtesy of Merlette/Emmanuelle Pickett
Cortbawi launched Merlette in 2016 from an atelier in Williamsburg, sold direct-to-consumer globally, as well as to retailers including Moda Operandi and Neiman Marcus. With its offering of resort-minded ready-to-wear centered around cotton dresses with fluid silhouettes and clean lines starting at around $300, cozy knits, light cotton-denim and accessories, Merlette is well suited to Southern California’s temperate year-round climate, Cortbawi said.
“I see an opportunity here for customers of our brand with the medium to lightweight layering pieces that we offer, that are just appropriate,” she went on. “I’m really meeting my customers where they are.”
California is the brand’s third-largest market, after New York and Texas, respectively.
A first look at the Merlette shop in Montecito, Calif.
Courtesy of Merlette/Emmanuelle Pickett
“There’s a big appreciation for natural fabrics,” she said of the California shopper. Cortbawi developed Merlette’s signature cotton in India (“it’s really fine and lasts the test of time”), before introducing linen, silk and wool to collections. The brand has OEKO-Tex certification, which confirms the safety of textile products.
“What I know from the Californian woman is that’s very important, and it’s very similar to Australians, that preference for natural fibers on your skin,” Cortbawi said.
Designed by Netherlands-based designer Paul Somers with Merlette’s chief executive officer Ivo Lamers, the store is located at 1801 East Cabrillo Boulevard. Along with the brand’s signature womenswear collections, it features a selection of curated items including fine jewelry by Irit Design and Clara Chehab; Poetica Botanicals laundry products, and skin care brands like Activist.
“We’ve really just included a range of assortment of fitted pieces and more voluminous, which is our original signature, and we’re going to test and see,” Cortbawi said of Merlette offerings in-store. “And I think that’s the beauty of being a small brand, you can tweak along the way and get customer feedback directly, which is the biggest gift. Having a retail store, we’re going to actually really meet our customer, know who she is and her lifestyle and what she really needs and appreciates.”
