City of Anaheim, CA
01/16/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/16/2025 17:34
Fabled luxury brand St. John Knits joins Anaheim Canyon business district
News Flash
City News - Current
Posted on: January 16, 2025
Fabled luxury brand St. John Knits joins Anaheim Canyon business district
ANAHEIM, Calif.(Jan. 16, 2025) - St. John Knits International Inc., a legendary women's fashion house, has joined the Anaheim Canyon with a new global brand headquarters.
The high-fashion womenswear brand moved to Anaheim in early January from Irvine.
The fashion house now operates from an 85,000-square-foot building along La Palma Avenue near Imperial Highway, with offices, design space, an atelier ¾or boutique production studio - and a warehouse.
St. John has about 120 Anaheim employees working in executive, wholesale, designer, craftspeople, administrative and fulfillment roles.
This move is a milestone for St. John and the Anaheim Canyon, a business center home to design, manufacturing and other innovation businesses.
St. John, part of China's Lanvin Group Holdings Ltd., joins an Anaheim Canyon business community of more than 3,000 businesses with 40,000 employees working in everything from technology to consumer products.
The brand is renowned for its elegant and timeless knitwear suits and dresses for women sold at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and other major retailers, as well as the company's own St. John boutiques, including at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills and Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
The iconic brand is and has been worn by Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton and Jessica Chastain, as well as an entirely new generation of followers including Zendaya, America Ferrera and St. John brand ambassador Shonda Rhimes.
St. John is known for high-end fabrics, upscale accents and elegant fit that combine for a luxurious feel and look.
"The story of St. John Knits is the story of so many great Anaheim businesses," Mayor Ashleigh Aitken said. "It is a story of a vision starting small and growing into a global brand. Having St. John here adds to Anaheim's prestige and builds on our creative economy."
Husband-and-wife team Robert and Marie Gray started St. John Knits in 1962 out of the family's garage in North Hollywood.
Taking the name from Marie Gray's maiden name of St. John, the company is built around her vision and an original knit dress she created and introduced to the world of high fashion.
A model herself, Marie bought herself a flatbed knitting machine and designed dresses for herself. They were an instant hit with friends, who started asking her for more.
The company grew from there with Robert selling clothing lines to department stores. Daughter Kelly Gray became the face of the brand for many years, leading the business in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The Grays are no longer involved in the company but have a lasting legacy at St. John.
St. John now is the flagship of the apparel industry in Anaheim, which also includes Pacific Sunwear of California LLC, operator of PacSun stores and also based in the Anaheim Canyon.
To learn more St. John, see the company's website.
To learn more about the Anaheim Canyon, click here.
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