The John Varvatos retail store cleared out of its original location at 8800 Melrose Ave last month, after being in the heart of WeHo’s Design District for almost 21 years.

The men’s fashion retail store did not stay closed for long. A new store opened in the same area on Friday, March 10th, at 8742 Melrose Avenue. The store is currently featuring the brand’s latest arrivals from their Spring 2023 Collection.

There will be an exclusive grand opening event for fashion industry types later this month.

The brand celebrated their 10-year anniversary in West Hollywood on October 17, 2012. The guest list included several familiar faces like musician Jakob Dylan, actor Gabriel Mann, guitarist Billy Morrison, and many more. The celebration also included a private performance by Paul Weller.

John Varvatos founded the company in late 1999. ^{Varvatos had previously been the head of menswear design at Calvin Klein, as well as the head of menswear design for all Polo Ralph Lauren brands and was responsible for the creation of the Polo Jeans Company.}

Launched in 2000 with a collection of tailored clothing and sportswear, the John Varvatos brand now represents an entire men’s lifestyle that includes footwear, bags, belts, eyewear, limited edition watches, men’s and women’s luxury skincare and fragrances, as well as the younger, edgier John Varvatos USA collection. A wildly successful collaboration with Converse gave rise to reinterpreted versions of the classic Chuck Taylor All Star and Jack Purcell sneakers.

After the brand generated double-digit revenue growth in 2010 and 2011, Lyndon Lea’s Lion Capital purchased a majority stake in the company in March 2012, with Varvatos remaining as Chairman and Chief Creative Officer.

On May 6, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, it was reported the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing $140 million in debt. ^{In July 2020, the brand’s private equity owner, Lion/Hendrix Cayman Ltd. received court approval to acquire the fashion brand in exchange for forgiving $76 million of the company’s debt.}

After Varvatos left his brand in 2020, he began his own brand called OTD-On This Day. He opened his first West Coast location in West Hollywood on the Sunset Strip, on April 28. His latest endeavor is based on storytelling. The name is inspired by the celebration of great moments in time through Instagram and Facebook’s On This Day highlights. The store was the brand’s flagship location on the West Coast before it closed earlier this year.