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After opening a new storefront in Austin last fall, cult California-based brand Cherry Los Angeles is expanding its footprint in Texas with a “three-day immersive takeover” at the W Austin hotel, timed to the opening weekend of Austin’s beloved South by Southwest festival.
The Americana-infused, Western-influenced streetwear label is no stranger to such collaborations, having linked arms with the Tokyo-based fashion brand Girls Don’t Cry, the extreme sports company Fox Racing, the F1 team Oracle Red Bull Racing, and the Los Angeles Kings hockey team, among others. But the W Hotels collaboration will mark a new sort of experiential partnership, in which Cherry LA will transform the W Austin’s Blue Room cocktail bar with two days of curated programming—all open to the public.
Running from Saturday, March 8, through Sunday, March 9, the programming will include curated food and drinks, an interactive activation space, live performances and special guests, and, of course, fresh fashion. In all 32 luxury suites at the W Austin, Cherry LA’s spring collection will be exclusively available for purchase—and guests will be the first to get a glance at the new merchandise. (Those guests will also have the opportunity to order some limited-edition room service: A Cherry LA-inspired ice cream sundae will grace the in-room dining menu during the takeover.)
David Levy, one Cherry LA’s two co-founders, says the partnership “is all about capturing Austin’s distinct charm through Cherry LA’s lens—blending the city’s honky-tonk roots with modern luxury.” When W Hotels reached out to Levy and his co-founder, Joseph Perez, about a potential collaboration, “the fusion of these two worlds felt like a natural fit,” Levy says, “creating an experience that honors Austin’s cultural heritage as well as the incredible canvas that is the hotel.”
For W Hotels’ part, the intersection is equally organic. Founded in 1998, the hotel brand has taken pains to establish its properties as lifestyle and cultural institutions, rather than mere locations to eat or sleep. As such, a smattering of its nearly 70 global hotels have taken part in similar partnerships, with recent examples including the W Verbier’s pop-up venue created with Spanish clothing store Massimo Dutti; the W Aspen’s pop-up terrace with Goldbergh’s Le Café de l’Aspen; and a recent capsule collection with artist Thomas Lelu.
“Fashion has always been woven into the fabric of W Hotels,” says George Fleck, W Hotels global brand leader. “Just like music, art, and design, it’s a driving force behind the brand’s identity.”