Olive Ateliers where Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner shop for home – WWD

As expected, there is a long line outside Olive Ateliers in Los Angeles. The devotees eagerly await the latest drop.

No, it’s not a streetwear label as you might think. However, the founders were inspired by “the Supremes of the World,” says Kendall Knox of their sales model. She founded the company in June 2021 with husband Ben Knox and girlfriend Laura Sotelo.

Instead, Olive Ateliers is a home decor importer that introduces collections every two weeks. They offer a distinctive aesthetic – rustic Mediterranean-style objects that hail from places like Turkey, India and Morocco. Her storage is filled with pots, stools, bowls and marble sinks.

Launched on Instagram with just 20 pieces, the venture attracted attention last fall after opening a physical location in Culver City in early 2022. Olive Ateliers, now relocated to downtown LA, has expanded to 23,000 square feet with thousands of merchandise and about 400 visitors each. Fans include the Kardashian-Jenners, Kristen Bell and Melissa McCarthy.

“It was really just born out of a genuine reverence for old and special, unique home decor and furniture,” Knox continues. “We have 11,000 square feet of the studio, which is the showroom, and then we have 11,000 square feet of storage space, where we receive inventory, process inventory, and prepare for the drops.”

They fill a void, she explains: “With a similar look and feel, it’s either 1stDibs, which is beautiful, highly curated, but incredibly expensive for the average consumer. Or it’s smaller retailers that might have a similar range, but it’s not as extensive and also quite a high price. Or it’s HomeGoods and Pottery Barn, which are great resources that are so cool for certain people, but often come with a replica or lack the real vintage or antique piece.”

Olive Ateliers offers a mix of antiques and reproductions, many in wood. Their oldest pieces are 18th-century marble washbasins salvaged from Turkish bathhouses. Popular items include vintage jars, bread boards, and skinny elm benches—priced at $175.

“They often sell for around $1,000,” says Knox. “We’re really just trying to avoid that kind of overprice markup and make these beautiful pieces really accessible to people.”

However, born during COVID-19 — and the supply chain issue that accompanies the pandemic — they adjusted their prices to match the market. At one point, shipping containers, which previously cost $5,000 each to travel to LA, for example, increased to $18,000, Knox explains.

“We’ve been able to bake into our pricing models with long schedules and inflated shipping prices… Now that things are stabilizing a bit – with the supply chain getting a little bit smoother and shipping cost savings over time – that’s coming to us.” benefit.”

Would they ever offer the goods online everywhere? They’ve pondered the idea and teamed up with Lulu & Georgia this month to create a home collection that’s sold on their website (ranging from $44 to $424). But for now, Knox says plans are to expand physical retail.

“Right now we’re very focused on expanding and improving the in-person experience and, you know, figuring out how to duplicate that in other markets as well,” she adds. “If and when we launch this online experience, I think it will be very important that the in-person experience is always the hero. Because we celebrate objects with old souls – as we like to say.”

The next Olive Ateliers Drop is at 1210 Mateo Street on Saturday.