Jesse Kamm

On a trip through Los Angeles’ fashion district, Jesse shares her unique approach to local production and why she will never grow out of business.

After Jesse Kamm moved to Los Angeles, she got into modeling. She did that for four and a half years before she started working at Resurrection. For two days a week she was surrounded by Issey Miyake, Comme des Garçons, Halston, and Jean Muir. She learned how to sew a button and how to clean or repair a fabric that had been damaged. Then a friend gave her a sewing machine, and she started making little cotton jersey tunics. She remembers: ‘Some time later a girl at Ron Herman complimented my dress, I told her I made it and she asked how much. I told her $500. And she said great. I’ll take 10. She owns a store called Colette in Paris.’ It was the first store to carry Jesse Kamm.
Today Jesse still prefers to work with stores whose approach she believes in, stores that really understand the brand and can share the story with the customer. She successfully reconciles family and business in a one-woman show. Regarding her work she explains: ‘the way I think of clothing…. If something has a hole, you patch it, if a shoe wears through on the bottom, you get it re-soled. I’m not into buying and getting rid of it. The most important thing is to think about where everything is coming from, and what it took. Being mindful.’

Find an exclusive interview and get to know Jesse Kamm’s favorite spots in LA here over at mb! by Mercedes-Benz. This feature has been produced in collaboration with Freunde von Freunden. For more about Jesse, her work, and her home in Los Angeles, go here.

All images © Claire Cottrell | Via: mb! by Mercedes-Benz