Industry Retail Owner A-List Number of locations 18 Founded Los Angeles (2000) | Founder Fraser Kitson Ross Website shopkitson.com Headquarters West Hollywood Type of business Private | |
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Key people Fraser Ross, Founder, Courtney Saavedra, Director of Marketing & PR Products Clothing, jewelry, beauty products, gifts, novelties, books | ||
Kitson was an upmarket department store chain whose head store is on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles. This store is a well-known place for celebrity spotting, especially by paparazzi.
Company
Kitson was founded in 2000 by Fraser Ross. The original shop on Robertson grew into a hotspot for both celebrities and fashion enthusiasts. The online boutique, 18 locations throughout Southern California, and 1 location in Portland, OR, provided dynamic styles for women, men, and kids from brands including Lazypants, Sol Angeles, 3x1 Denim, MIH Jeans, Bleulab and Autumn Cashmere. Kitson carries exclusives from Homies, Boy London, Yosi Samra, Lauren Moshi, and more.
The Wall Street Journal reported, "At Kitson, Mr. Ross has made a science of understanding trend-conscious consumers. His stores, christened with his middle name, are often mentioned in gossip columns alongside photos of celebrities who are seen exiting with a new handbag or pair of pricey jeans. Unlike many upscale boutiques, he doesn't shut out photographers who follow celebrities but is outright friendly, not just to paparazzi but to the reporters who call to ask what the celebrities bought."
In February 2014, Kitson opened its largest store to date in Las Vegas at The LINQ, a retail, dining, and entertainment complex featuring High Roller, the world's tallest Ferris wheel.
On December 9, 2015, the retailer announced that it would close all of its 17 locations throughout California, Oregon and Nevada. As of that date, the online store, ShopKitson.com, was already no longer in service. The source of the company’s trouble was unclear according to news reports.