New NewsGlossier’s New Flagship on Melrose Avenue Is Peachy Pink PerfectionIt’s ready-made for an Instagram close-up

By Mayer Rus

November 19, 2021

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Glossier’s presence on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles is unmistakable to passing motorists and pedestrians. The store occupies the former home of AD100 designer Michael Smith’s Jasper showroom.Photo: Courtesy of Glossier

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Glossier, the digital-first beauty brand, is continuing its bold foray into the world of bricks and mortar with the opening of the company’s Los Angeles flagship in West Hollywood. Designed by Glossier’s in-house design team, the store turns retail conventions on their head, devoting broad swaths of floor space, typically reserved for product display, to joyful communal gathering spots ready-made for an Instagram close-up. The boutique sprawls over nearly an entire block of Melrose Avenue, a peachy pink beacon of groovy, sun-kissed California vibrations. Massive letters spelling out the Glossier name adorn the façade in a tip of the hat to the classic Hollywood sign.

The Glossier store in Los Angeles is bathed in serene shades of pink. The massive letters adorning the façade—a nod to the iconic Hollywood sign—are expressed along the street-facing wall of the interior.

Photo: Courtesy of Glossier

Indeed, the entire store design and retail experience draw inspiration from old-school Hollywood movie studios, the so-called dream factories that for decades brought a kaleidoscope of stories to life by selling wonder and delight. The centerpiece of the boutique is the Glossier Globe, a monumental sculpture perched atop a cascading fountain surrounded by amphitheater-style seating clad in slabs of multicolored marble. Enormous props, including 17-foot-tall Glossier Boy Brow and Cloud Paint totems, pump up the fantasy aspect of the production. Dedicated makeup and skincare rooms, outfitted with Glossier’s signature You Look Good mirrors, provide ideal lighting for—you guessed it—selfies.

“Glossier L.A. is the second store in our return to retail, and even though each location has a different theme, you’ll notice a through line: They’re ambitious, they’re playful, and not what you’d traditionally expect from a ‘beauty store.’ Through design, we want to make meaningful connections beyond a transaction. We want you to have fun, be surprised, and leave the store feeling connected to the Glossier community,” says Adriana Deleo, Glossier’s deputy creative director and head of in-house design.

Massive props, such as a 17-foot-tall tube of Glossier Boy Brow, underscore the giddy wonderland quality of the store design.

Photo: Courtesy of Glossier

Adjacent to the store, customers can take a stroll through Glossier Alley, a whimsical destination (set to open in December) stocked with lush topiaries, abundant outdoor seating, and an outpost of Alfred coffee bar and café for a quick caffeinated pick-me-up. A giant surrealist marble fountain designed by the Haas Brothers is sure to give the pink façade of the nearby Paul Smith boutique a run for its money as the preferred selfie spot for avid Instagrammers.

The opening of the L.A. location follows last summer’s launch of the Glossier boutique in Seattle, which features gigantic boulders and mushrooms in a space reminiscent of a glamorous terrarium. Next stop for the beauty brand: Glossier’s first European retail store in London, set to open next month, and a fourth permanent retail space in Miami, which will be unveiled in February.

Detail of the marble-clad, amphitheater-style seating that surrounds the focal fountain, designed as a communal gathering spot and selfie magnet.

Photo: Courtesy of Glossier

A monumental steel sculpture, dubbed the Glossier Globe, crowns a fountain at the center of the inviting social arena that greets visitors to the store.

Photo: Courtesy of Glossier