In Good Santa Barbara Fashion
On a Wednesday afternoon back in 2019, Charlize Theron stepped out in Los Angeles. The week prior she sported head-to-toe Dior at an African Outreach Project Fundraiser and the Guggenheim International Gala. But on this particular day, she was spotted by paparazzi strutting the streets adorned in what seems like a basic white jean, black tee, and brown fedora look. Those white jeans weren’t just any Levi’s or Lee’s, they were the White Emma Trouser by Santa Barbara designer Catherine Gee. “I mean, I still can’t get over it. It’s just a testament,” Gee says of the celebrity endorsement of her clothing. Since then, Catherine Gee designs have graced the likes of stars like Mila Kunis, Kate Bosworth, and Halle Berry.
When considering world fashion hubs, Paris, Milan, New York, and Los Angeles likely spring to mind. But a lesser-known hidden gem in the shopping world is Santa Barbara, California. With Katy Perry, Megan Markle, and Rob Lowe, the city’s star-studded residency and luxury reputation is attracting popular Los Angeles designers, such as James Perse and Clare V, to the area. Even before the latest boom came, there were a handful of local favorite creators that chose to set up shop in the American Riviera before it was a fashion hotspot.
Catherine Gee found herself far from her Nashville home after accepting a job in Santa Barbara as the executive director of a local gallery, The Art Fund. Gee, owner and designer of Catherine Gee is the child of an artist ans grew up in a studio painting, drawing, and playing the violin. “I like to have creative energy through me on the daily. So running a fashion business, I get to utilize my art while also running a business. I really love both sides.”
The weather whiplash, or rather Mediterranean climate, and nonchalant nature of coastal California plays a major role in Gee’s designs. Her patterns names reflect these influences with SB Sunset depicting the vibrant reds, pinks and oranges of the dusk sky and Pool Mosaic illustrating the birds-eye-view of a typical backyard pool. “[We] have this inherent ease in our lifestyle and how we dress. There is this kind of cool understated casual elegance here,” Catherine Gee said.
Starting with staple and neutral silk pieces, like dresses, blouses, and tanks, that could best be described as resort wear, she wanted to expand to a complete ready-to-wear collection with cashmere, t-shirts, jackets, and “pretty much everything except overcoats.” So, she did. The intricate designs and diverse color palette of her line is evidence of her extensive art background. In a world currently embracing monotone, Gee is not swayed. “I really think that colors are very powerful. I think if you are going to launch a fashion brand it needs to be eye-catching and stand out.” She references her famous Daria Top, a classic silk blouse on all fronts necessary. The variety of patterns, like Rainbow Moodboard and Celestial Butterfly, and colors, Fiji Blue and Electric Orchid, are what gives the staple top its edge “That will never leave my collection. It’s a beautiful, timeless, sophisticated shirt that you can wear from desk to dinner. So, every season I cut it in all my prints and colors.”
The Daria Top doesn’t come without a price. For $346, it can be yours. This cost is a common theme with Santa Barbara stores. The average dress at Montecito boutique ALLORA by Laura is just under $600.
The Coast Village Road boutique is turned 10 this past year. “Keeping close relationships with our customers is something that makes this community absolutely magical,” Dinning says. Unlike Gee designers, ALLORA handpicks their inventory from an array of luxurious designers. With a portfolio of designers like Missoni, LAPOINTE, and Clergerie, the high-end, with high price tags, shop brings big-city name brands to Montecito while staying a local business. Dinning says she are ready for the next 10 years, not bothered by the prospect of bigger chains moving in next door.
Marcel Monsivais of Marcel Hemp sells his town-famous skirts for $35 and linen pants for $70. But his business is decades in the making. After receiving an offer to open a shop in San Franscisco’s Ghirardelli Square, he journeyed north but only made it as far as Santa Barbara. “I signed a lease that day,” he says standing in the same store 35 years later.
Marcel Monosivais is on a first name basis with his faithful fans, or rather friends. Santa Barbara local Kelsey Thompson emphasizes Monsivais’s impact on his customers saying, “I was walking downtown with my friend, and we walked past [Marcel Hemp] and he had to run in just to say hi to Marcel.”
“That is how we are able to stay open just three hours a day. It’s a quality three solid hours of getting people exactly what they want,” Monosivais says about his local connections.
Born and raised in Texas, Monsivais l started designing with natural fibers in the mid 80s. In 1989, he received his first hemp fibers from Nepal. “I just really fell in love with the sustainable fiber and it just grew from there.” Production for this Fair Trade store is now done in eight different countries, like Ecuador, Thailand and Nepal, by local families that he forms relationships with on his travels.
From the iconic sketched baby photo in Marcel Hemp’s logo, to the resident barking dog Edison, who was being tamed by Monsivais’s son August, Marcel Hemp is a family business through and through, Santa Barbara shoppers included. “We’ve morphed into what our customers want. Our hoodies are really made for here. If you’re on the beach playing around, you’ve got a hoodie to keep you warm. Then if you’re going to a nicer restaurant, you pop the hood off and there's a collar,” Marcel says as he demonstrates the convertible clothing piece. Among the most popular of his collection include linen pants, hemmed for buyers by Marcel, and button down shirts. They’re comfortable, neutral, and easy to slip on for a more presentable look.
Echoing Monsivai’s earth-friendly goals, Daniela Aflalo, a UC Santa Barbara alum, fuses her Environmental Studies degree and passion for sewing into a small-batch sustainable brand. “It was hard to find clothes that I felt good in and that actually fit me growing up, so I resorted to making my own,” Dani, as she is more commonly called, says of her sewing start. Learning to sew was second nature with a mother and grandmother who both were constantly behind the machine. She found a silver lining in the COVID-19 pandemic when she was able to really home in on her skills.
Coming to UCSB, she realized there was a major overlap between climate consciousness and the fashion industry. “It’s one of the most detrimental industries on the planet, ethically and environmentally. So, it just seemed like such a great intersection of my academic and creative endeavors.”
What started as making clothes for herself and close friends morphed into a business. “I have so much fun with it. I do a really limited stock on my website, just because I don’t want to get too overwhelmed.” When you see the pieces, you understand why they need to be limited. The ornate crochet designs can take up to two weeks and Dani runs a one-woman show.
She credits both Santa Barbara and her SoCal upbringing for her design inspiration with flora and fauna running as a common theme in her collections. “You can travel just a couple hours and be in a completely different environment, so I draw a lot from that. I really try not to force designs or get on the bandwagon with different trends.” With slow fashion, keeping up with the latest “it” thing isn’t at the forefront. “I just design what speaks to me. With crochet, especially, it’s free hand. So, it’s a bit more go with the flow. With raw fibers, it becomes sculptural.” Still new to the business, Aflalo is working towards making it a feasible full-time gig. In the meantime, she works a restaurant job to support herself.
This clothing quartet encapsulates everything that is remarkable about Santa Barbara in fashion form with their diverse interpretations of local styles and unwavering dedication to their clientele—the sort of clientele that will stand the test of time and contest. If they can afford it.
Local Cecilia O’Brien reassures that none of these designers have any reason to be worried, “People here are so open. There is no “fitting in,” there is nothing that’s ever “in” or “out”. People applaud being different, which allows people to experiment in a way not many other places do.”