Inside Michelle Jonas’ new L.A. atelier—where fashion meets art

The MiJo by Michelle Jonas founder opens a light-filled Sycamore District studio that rethinks retail as a gallery, workspace, and community hub.

(Photo credit Eric Weiss)

Michelle Jonas, who founded her eponymous clothing line MiJo by Michelle Jonas in 2005, opened her first atelier this month in the heart of Los Angeles’ Sycamore District, marking an exciting new chapter for the designer known for her elevated leisure and elegant resort wear. Renowned for her mastery of exquisite silks and cottons shaped through years of collaboration with her team of artisanal hand dyers, Jonas’ aesthetic reflects the beauty of craft and the spirit of California ease.

The airy, light-filled 1800-square-foot space will serve as a hybrid art gallery and working studio, offering visitors an intimate window into Jonas’ creative world. Designed to blur the boundaries between retail, art and process, the space will showcase her evolving collections alongside a curated selection of unique creations by jewelry makers, photographers and fellow designers. Here, she shares why she prioritized artistry, discovery and creative expression over traditional retail models.

—Interview by Marcy Medina, edited by Bianca Prieto

You’ve had a successful wholesale business for two decades. Why did you decide to open a physical space now?

I had gotten an offer to open a space here, and I was like, “Ugh, retail right now?” Knitwear designer Margaret O’Leary, whom I have collaborated with for years, was like, “Why wouldn’t you do it?” I said, “My line is so specific, and I don’t think it’s enough to carry an entire store.” She said, “So make the space specific too. Do it like a gallery, where each piece you carry is a piece of art.”

I also wanted to do a community space, something that’s going to bring people together, because I feel like that’s really lost. When I met the developer of this building and others in the area, he said, “You should have your offices here and show people who walk in that this is where your clothes are made.” It’s not like walking into Zara where it’s coming from somewhere very far away. You know who’s making it and how it’s getting made and it just brings it back to a different experience. Luckily, my wholesale business does well enough that I can sustain this space and everything else is just kind of like icing on the cake.

What was the design inspiration for the space?

I wanted everything to be movable so we can have art shows in the space too. All my clothing is displayed in the front of the space on tables, rolling racks or rods suspended from chains that hook to the ceiling. Everything can be removed or moved to the back half of the space, where my production studio is, so we have a clean space with white walls for art shows. As far as details, I found this white paper accordion wall on Amazon to create a dressing room space and display shelves. Instead of track lighting, I have photo studio lights on vintage stands from Samy’s Camera. Again, everything can be moved around.

In addition to a curated selection of your Michelle Jonas Collection silk clothes and pillows, what else do you carry here?

On my walls, I have limited-edition fine art prints by photographers Antoine Verglas, Eric Weiss, and Isabelle Aubin, and works by painter Jason Trotter. All the pieces are for sale. I also carry vintage designer jewelry and new jewelry from Mary Margrill, whom I’ve been wearing for years—tiny stuff with spiritual words and positive sayings—and a unisex jewelry line by Blitz Motorcycles, a custom motorcycle company in Venice Beach. I have small leather goods by Kim White, and alpaca sweaters, blankets and plush toys by Latierra in Canada. I wanted to start with small things that weren’t size-specific, so I don’t have to store as much inventory.

What do you love about this neighborhood?

This area is very European and very L.A. too. I’m a block away from Sycamore Avenue, where there are restaurants, the boutique and gallery Just One Eye, Nili Lotan, Ex Nihilo Paris perfumer and Fie Isolde jewelry. The Sirius XM and Roc Nation (Jay-Z’s entertainment company) offices are here, and Jay-Z owns the building kitty corner to me. He brought the restaurant there, Mr. T, and he’s been promoting it. And my old boss Barry Perlman, the co-founder of Lucky Brand jeans, has a record shop on Sycamore called Supervinyl.

I’m a little off the beaten path, being around the corner from Sycamore, but I got a really good deal because I was one of the first retail tenants in this new building. A Pilates studio and chiropractor are going into the storefronts on one side of me, and my business partners opened a men’s and women’s clothing retail space on the other side—remember Jason Bleick’s clothing brand Ever? It’s back. They do music and karaoke there, too.

What has the reaction been from your customers?

A bunch of them were like, “Oh wow, finally a store.” Most customers are travelers, so they come to L.A. and are excited to experience this and be able to try things on.

What’s next for the space?

I’ve been shopping around for a travel fragrance line that you can’t find everywhere. More stuff for home and travel, and maybe a special ceramics line. I also want to do seasonal shopping parties where I bring in complementary brands because nobody buys one brand head-to-toe. I make clothes to go with other clothes, so it should be a collaboration of everybody.