We are so excited to be here today at the activewear brand, Avocado’s, store in Venice, CA. We are here with Jessica Laursen, The Creative Director. We can’t wait to learn all about the Avocado brand. She has been working at Avocado for a year and a half. Before that, she bounced around different LA brands, some that exist still, some don't. She realized that her true passion was knitwear. https://shopavocado.com  

• How did you choose the name, Avocado? Christina Choi started the brand. She felt that it represents health and wellness without being granola. It is a fun health food, it is bright, delicious, on trend, made in California and is soft like the Avocado clothing.   
• How did Christina get the idea to start the brand? Christina had a business with her husband in LA for many years making clothing, so she is able to use those same factories, but wanted to do something of her own. She's had a lifelong passion for fitness. They pride themselves on having happy employees and clean working conditions. Everything is done within a mile radius, so it is more eco-friendly. 
• We love the idea of, “As You Are” tell us more about this. It is body positive mantra. Feel comfortable in the clothes as you are. Have you ever tried on some pants that pinches in a weird way or isn't cut right? You should feel wonderful as you are. 
• How do you choose the color scheme? Look around at what's happening around them, because they can get inspiration from everywhere. They look at what is happening on the runways, what the trends are, what people are gravitating towards. The regular woman wants to wear it to the gym or maybe to lounge, so they want to pay attention to what's happening everywhere else in fashion, so she could mix her Avocado pieces with other pieces in her wardrobe. Some people want to stand out at the gym. For the silhouettes, they translate the pattern they want in the knitting machine. Women want to be fashionable whether they are running errands or going to the gym. They have a one-shoulder silhouette. 
• Tell us about the technical aspects of the pieces. Everything is made on seamless knitting machines. These are similar to how your hosiery or socks are made, no seams on the edges. Since the clothing doesn't have side seams, it makes the pieces super comfortable. Their technicians learned in Italy and have created interesting stitches and patented the waistband because it is so unique. They partnered with Sensil, a nylon performance fabric company. It gives it sweat wicking properties, so it dries quickly. It has stretch and recovery, so it comes right back. It is durable, so it resists pilling. The pieces will last a long time. Because of the fabric they use, when you wash your workout clothes, there is a lot less micro plastic that goes into the water.  
• How long does it take from concept to shelf? It depends. They are meticulous about making sure it'll be a quality product. They go through multiple fittings. It is different than cut and sew where you can change the pattern and cut it out. For Avocado, they change the pattern of the program in the computer that is then plugged into the machine. After it is knitted it is not yet dyed, so you have to take into account shrinkage, which would be different for solid dye vs. tie-dye, etc. There is a lot of math involved. They have a vintage dye that is a mineral wash. They have animal prints: zebra, cheetah, etc.  
• How many collections do you have a year? four: spring, summer, fall and winter. They vary by color in seasonality, but you should be able to wear it when you want. More about newness. Work at least two seasons in advance, because they want to have time to develop and put the love into it that is needed. 
• What does the life of a Creative Director look like? She oversees the direction of the team, the colors, the silhouettes, make sure the fit is right, plan photoshoots, art direction with the photographer, help out with sales, etc. They have a small, but mighty team. They take different body types into consideration and different levels of coverage. They go up to a size 16 because the fabric is stretchy. 
• Who is your target client? It should be a broad spectrum of people. They try to design something for everyone, something an older person would feel great in, have both muted and bright colors. Women of all ages. Talking about opening a men's line in 2020. It can work for different intensity levels of workouts. The team wear tests it and also they do squat tests to make sure it isn't see-through. 
• Where can you buy Avocado? They have two stores in LA, in Venice and Santa Monica, their ecommerce site, Bandier, REI and planning some more. 
• Walk us through the design process. Work as a team, all bring the ideas to the table. Work to make a pattern on the computer, so all digital. The pattern goes to the technicians who put it into the program that works with the machine with a USB drive to knit what they designed. It comes out of the machine as all white, un-dyed yarn which is much bigger than the final product. There is a high shrinkage rate. When it is knitted, you can't knit it as tight as when you're wearing it. The dye process shrinks it down. If you've developed tie-dyes or colors, they will apply it. It comes to the design team and they fit it. Sometimes, it is right right away, sometimes it takes a couple of times to get it right. 
• How do you care for the product? Wash it in cold water. Similar to how you'd care for a sweater. Don't want zippers or anything that could harm the material. It doesn't require a lot of washing. 
• What all goes into opening a store? She started once the store was open. Being made in LA, the theory was to be represented in LA. Important to see and feel the product in person. 
• What does the future of Avocado look like? Continuing to grow. More people are recognizing the name. Meeting new people and companies. See them in more department stores, and hope to become a household name. 
• Tell us about the price point. Have quality pieces, but keep it a reasonable price. $75-$100 leggings depending on the dye process. You can add to your pieces each season. They try to make sure all the colors match with the existing colors. They will create a longer tee.

https://thestylethatbindsus.com/meet-avocado-the-activewear-brand-you-need-to-know/