Palisades entrepreneurs take stock and share how they are helping their community, foundations and arts organizations join to create the L.A. Arts Community Fire Relief Fund, semi-private jet service Aero debuts a new route to Park City and Prada partners with National Geographic CreativeWorks on a new campaign.
As the Los Angeles wildfires continue, three Palisades entrepreneurs take stock
The Palisades Fire has been declared one of the most destructive in California’s history with 23,713 acres burned, nearly 5,000 structures destroyed and the once bustling town largely reduced to rubble and ash. The fire finally reached 50% containment on Monday, but life will not be returning to normal in Pacific Palisades for many years.
The debut of billionaire Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village in 2018 transformed the town into a premier destination for upscale shopping and dining. However, fashion designer and retailer Elyse Walker had already established the town as a style hub with her eponymous boutique, which opened on Antioch Street in 1999.
Last year, the boutique celebrated its 25th anniversary with its Fashion + Community initiative, featuring charitable partnerships and a digital campaign showcasing stories from the Elyse Walker community.
“When I opened my first store 25 years ago, I knew that I wanted a store to feel like a home base within the community. More than a store, it was where friends and family got together to connect, celebrate and, of course, shop,” she said.
Last Thursday, Walker confirmed that the flagship location had been destroyed in the fire. “While the structure may no longer be standing, our memories will always remain. You can’t take away the soul of what happened in that store and the friendships that were made and the conversations in the dressing room and the love and support was way more than clothes and shoes,” she said of the tragedy.
Last weekend the brand donated 10% all all sales in store, nationwide and online to the LAFD foundation and says there will be more initiatives to come.
Restaurateur and Palisades resident Marissa Hermer opened The Draycott, a family-friendly brasserie in the Palisades Village, in 2018. It quickly became a local institution. “Palisades is Xanadu,” she said. “It’s the neighborhood where, not only do you know your neighbors, but you have weekly Taco Tuesday with them, you know where their mugs are kept in the kitchen and their gate code. It’s not just a neighborhood, it’s an extended family.”
Currently evacuated and staying with relatives in Newport Beach, Hermer has been busy reviving a meal donation program she conceived during the pandemic using her Boujis hospitality group’s Olivetta and Chez Mia restaurant kitchens in West Hollywood to provide meals for displaced families, firefighters, shelters and hospital workers.
“I am a born optimist. That’s just in my DNA, and with this food program I’m seeing real humanity at its best,” she said. “Los Angeles is a town of dreamers and tenacious people who make s–t happen, and together we are going to pull the city back together.”
Jewelry designer Jenefer Meyer opened her first brick and mortar store on N Swarthmore Avenue in Palisades Village in 2018, 13 years after founding her fine jewelry brand. A native Angeleno who grew up in Malibu and lived in the Palisades until 2020, she said, “My heart is shattered for my hometown. I’m an L.A. girl through and through and as a business owner in the Palisades, I’ve been inspired, clothed and fed by the incredible businesses that make this community so special. From the iconic Elyse Walker store to the beloved Café Vida, these places, and the people, have been staples in my life.”
With Palisades Village still closed, her brand is donating 10% of online sales to Baby2Baby’s Disaster Relief and Emergency Response program, which provides essential items like diapers and clothing to children in need.
“The way I’ve seen this community show up for one another is beyond beautiful — it’s truly special,” she said. “I know we will get through this together. I don’t know how yet, but we will. We will rebuild, we will lift each other up, and we will keep showing up.”
Foundations and arts organizations join to create the L.A. Arts Community Fire Relief Fund
A coalition of major arts organizations and philanthropists in Los Angeles, led by the J. Paul Getty Trust, have come together to create the L.A. Arts Community Fire Relief Fund: an emergency relief fund for artists and arts workers in all disciplines who have lost residences, studios or livelihoods, or have otherwise been impacted by the devastating Los Angeles fires.
The fund has launched with $12 million and is continuing to grow. It will be administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation, a longstanding intermediary providing funding, advocacy and research support on behalf of individuals in the arts.
The Mohn Art Collective, which includes the Hammer Museum, LACMA and MOCA, East West Bank, the Mellon Foundation, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Qatar Museums, Ford Foundation and other national and international institutions are all part of the coalition.
An expanding list of individuals, foundations and corporations involved includes Karyn Kohl, Terri and Jerry Kohl, Trellis Art Fund, Teiger Foundation, Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg/The Hearthland Foundation, Maria Seferian, Arison Arts Foundation, Snap Foundation, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, The Broad Art Foundation, Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, the Smidt Foundation and Smidt Family, the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts, Terra Foundation for American Art, the California Community Foundation, Kraus Family Foundation, Howard and Nancy Marks Charitable Foundation, the A&L Berg Foundation, The Willem de Kooning Foundation, Jane Hait and Justin Beal, Joan Mitchell Foundation, The David Hockney Foundation, Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Frieze, Michael Asher Foundation, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Sam Francis Foundation, Artadia, Jay DeFeo Foundation and The Carolee Schneemann Foundation.
New partners can join the coalition via Getty and gifts to the fund may be made through the Getty’s website. The fund will be administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation, a longstanding intermediary providing funding, advocacy and research support on behalf of individuals in the arts.
Artists and arts workers who have been impacted by the fires can visit the CCI website to apply for emergency funding.
Semi-private jet service Aero debuts a new route from L.A. to Park City
Just in time for the start of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, semi-private jet service Aero has debuted a new route from Van Nuys Airport (VNY) in Los Angeles to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC).
Bridging the gap between commercial first-class and private jets, Aero’s fleet of ERJ 135 jets feature sleek black livery and custom-design cabin interiors with just 16 oversized leather seats in a 1×1 configuration. Fliers can arrive just 20 minutes before departure and an Aero Host will personally greet them curbside at the private terminal, check them in and take care of their luggage.
Their in-flight culinary program features seasonal menus from Erewhon, a premium open bar, Starlink wi-fi and an accommodating luggage policy that enables travelers to fly with two checked bags, including oversized sports equipment like skis and boot bags, while also welcoming dogs of all sizes in the cabin.
For those wanting to hit the slopes, they have also launched an Aero x Stein Collection travel package (valid at Stein Eriksen Lodge, Stein Eriksen Residences and The Chateaux) that includes 10% off round-trip Aero flights from Los Angeles, 20% off the best available room rate, daily breakfast for two during ski season, a daily $100 resort credit per room, upgrades and late departure.
Located adjacent to Deer Valley Ski Resort, which has been voted the best ski resort in the U.S. for 12 years in a row by the World Ski Awards, the Stein Eriksen Lodge was named the Best Ski Hotel 2024 by and is the longest-running Forbes Five-Star hotel and spa in Utah.
Prada partners with National Geographic CreativeWorks on a new Re-Nylon campaign
In celebration of the 2025 Prada Re-Nylon Collection and campaign, Italian fashion house Prada has collaborated for the third time with storytelling partner National Geographic CreativeWorks.
The partnership explores the origins of its Prada Re-Nylon initiative in a series of four documentary films, featuring actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Sadie Sink, along with SEA BEYONDers and Goodwill Ambassadors of the project Valentina Gottlieb and Giovanni Chimienti, as well as local National Geographic experts.
In the newest episode, Cumberbatch visits Norway in an immersive film that takes viewers behind the scenes, under the surface of the sea, and beyond. Revealing the majesty of this complex ecosystem, the dangers these marine environments face, and how we can evolve our approaches to create positive impact, the segments reframe the Prada Re-Nylon narrative within the communities and environs it is transforming.
Since 2019 Prada Group has run the SEA BEYOND educational program, in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, to raise awareness on ocean preservation and collaborated with National Geographic CreativeWorks to highlight the Prada Re-Nylon Collection.
Regenerated from plastic waste sourced from ocean and landfills, Prada Re-Nylon testifies the Group’s aim to create products without using new resources. One percent of proceeds from the Prada Re-Nylon for SEA BEYOND Collection benefit the program, with the aim of inspiring new generations and making them aware of the importance of the ocean and the need to preserve it.
Balenciaga unveils the all-leather, hybrid Monday shoe
Balenciaga has unveiled a new conceptual take on a vintage running shoe, dubbed the Monday.
As the house’s first all-leather hybrid shoe, the Monday pairs a leather upper with an ultra-lightweight technical rubber sole, ensuring both comfort and ease of wear.
Characterized by a streamlined silhouette, Monday Shoes feature raw edges, visible stitching, and intentional distressing that evoke the worn-in feel of a well loved favorite.
Deconstructed elements appear throughout, with exposed stitching and detailing that highlight the shoe’s artisanal character. A rubber 3B Sports Icon signature further amplifies its DIY-inspired design.
Monday Shoes are available now in white, black, pink, yellow and blue, in both worn and pristine iterations, at Balenciaga stores worldwide and on balenciaga.com.
Delvaux opens its first West Coast flagship boutique
Belgian luxury leather goods house Delvaux has opened its second U.S. flagship store at South Coast Plaza.
Designed in collaboration with Vudafieri-Saverino Partners, the boutique combines museum worthy design pieces such as Le Brillant, Le Tempête and Le Pin along with the new Caprice bag inspired by Elizabeth Taylor, with a striking interior featuring gold mesh, burnished brass, marmorino, white oak, alcantara, velvet and Calacatta marble.
For CEO Jean-Marc Loubier, every Delvaux store needs to be a one-off with an extraordinary mix of craft and statement design pieces, and this location houses a rare Ettore Sottsass Cubica console and a 1960s gold metallic totem room divider – originally located in a Palm Springs mansion – that Loubier found in Paris and brought back to California.
Founded in Brussels in 1829, Delvaux is the oldest fine leather goods house in the world, crafting and designing without interruption in its workshops since then. The house is the inventor of the modern handbag, having filed the first-ever leather handbag patent in the world for le “Princesse” in 1908. It has also been the official purveyor to the Royal Court of Belgium since 1883.
Last Wednesday, South Coast Plaza and the Segerstrom family announced a $1 million donation to aid immediate relief and long-term recovery efforts following the devastating fires in Los Angeles. The contribution will benefit organizations such as the LAFD Fire Foundation, California Community Foundation, Baby2Baby, Pasadena Humane Society and others providing critical resources to impacted individuals, families and animals.
The store is open now at on Level 1 in the Saks Fifth Avenue Wing.
Tiffany & Co. and FIFA unveil the 2025 Club World Cup trophy
Tiffany & Co. and FIFA came together to celebrate the unveiling of the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup Trophy at the Tiffany Landmark in New York City last week.
Guests were treated to a special evening hosted by Anthony Ledru, president and CEO of Tiffany & Co., and Gianni Infantino, FIFA president. As the evening unfolded, guests were able to view the trophy and enjoy a performance by English singer and songwriter Robbie Williams.
The new trophy was designed by FIFA and crafted in collaboration with global luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. for this year’s Club World Cup tournament, set to be staged at 12 world-class venues across 11 host cities in the U.S. from June 15 to July 13. It will be presented to the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup winners, who will be crowned after the final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. A replica will be given to each winner of the tournament.
“The FIFA Club World Cup trophy is the next chapter in our long history of creating the world’s most revered symbols of athletic achievement,” Ledru said.
Boasting a 24-carat gold-plated finish, the FIFA Club World Cup trophy features intricate laser-engraved inscriptions on both sides, showcasing text and imagery that portray football’s rich history. The inscriptions include a world map and the names of all 211 FIFA Member Associations and the six confederations, representing the geographical and cultural diversity of the beautiful game.
The trophy’s central disc displays an array of icons that capture football’s traditions, including symbols of stadiums and equipment and a world map. The design drew inspiration from NASA’s Voyager deep-space missions in the 1970s, the periodic table, maps of pioneering journeys and astronomy.
The trophy also features engravings in 13 languages and Braille, highlighting the inclusive spirit of the global game and ensuring that the tournament’s legacy is accessible to diverse audiences around the world. Space is available to laser-engrave the emblems of the winning clubs for 24 editions of the tournament.
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