Cool Girl French-American Brand XiRENA Opens Its First Flagship In LA

My relationship with LA is a complicated one. Typically, I've never gelled with the Californian city. This changed recently when I headed to LA for the opening of XiRENA's first flagship opening in the Pacific Palisades.

There is a certain ease in XiRENA's design sensibilities. There are American touches, classic denim and surprisingly great sweatsuits, coupled with pieces that feel quintessentially French, like the perfect button down or a sweet summer dress in super soft cotton. These are what make the brand's offering unique. "She's stylish, free-spirited, and effortlessly chic," Diedre Roffoni, co-founder of XiRENA tells me. "Her style is confident and easy, a mix of "boy-meets-girl" that reflects a laid-back sophistication. She's drawn to the brand for its California spirit, and she's always seeking timeless, easy pieces—great basics with a twist."

We meet for breakfast at the Sunset Tower Hotel on the day of the store opening. Here, Roffoni and XiRENA creative director, Elise Parseghian, talk me through the reasoning for their first brick-and-mortar store over lemon waters while we fan ourselves from the mid-morning heat, it's all very LA. "A physical store puts us face to face with our customer, allowing us to have a more personal connection to her. It also provides the full XiRENA experience—the venue, the display, the service, the energy—in a way e-commerce alone cannot achieve," Roffoni says.

Later that evening, the store speaks for itself in this way—the full XiRENA experience. The physical space is, as Roffoni tells me, an extension of the brand in all of its relaxed, cool, ease. The bright, airy space designed by Montalba Architects features an artificial skylight made from fabric, hand-carved travertine flooring, and curved textured walls, all of which mirror XiRENA’s retail offering, which is on full display here, featuring core wardrobe essentials and seasonal collections.

"The curved walls, stone floors and hand-carved details allow us to tell the XiRENA story beyond the garment," Roffoni says. "The intention of the flagship is to have our customer step into the world we've created, not just shop it."

At the opening itself, the space is bustling. Guests spill out into the Palisades Village, drinking cocktails as the summer sun sets and into the back of the store, where custom embroidering is taking place for personalized shirts. It's the start of a new chapter for XiRENA, and one that makes perfect sense for the brand.