Natural-Disaster-Themed Cheap Monday/WKND Concept Store Rocks Chinatown Like a Hurricane

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This weekend, concept boutique Choose Chinatown unveiled its debut project: A collaboration with cult Swedish streetwear label Cheap Monday. For the next two seasons, the store will be dedicated to the brand's three lines—Cheap Monday, Kostym, and WKND—becoming the only US shop to focus on the label's entire repertoire.

"We wanted to shed some light on the rest of Cheap Monday's collections and introduce WKND to the US market," says Choose Chinatown co-founder Jason Gillis (also co-founder of the nearby Welcome Hunters), who has become only the second US retailer to carry the WKND label. In contrast to Cheap Monday's flamboyant, second-skin denim and Kostym's minimalist tailoring, WKND is more conceptual and artistically driven. This season's collection is inspired by the unlikely pairing of natural disasters and the craft movement, with intricate patterns reminiscent of mushroom clouds, hurricanes and folk art motifs emblazoned on funnel-neck tees and knee-length hoodies.

Setting off the streetwear is an installation made from balloons and fisherman's nets, crafted by local design outfit All That Is Solid (the masterminds behind sister shop Lion's Den). The shop seemed stocked to capacity when we visited, but Gillis assured us that they "don't even have half of what's coming." Judging by the steady stream of browsers during our visit, we have a feeling those new deliveries will be very necessary.
· Pop Up Shop Alert [Racked LA]
· Now Open: Chinatown's Choose Chinatown [Racked LA]
· Choose Chinatown [Official Site]