Camp Beverly Hills was an American clothing line founded by Jeffrey A. Stein and John H. Lasker and Howard Himelstein. The brand launched in 1977 and became a pop-culture phenomenon during the 1980s. The clothing was known for its pastel colors and casual comfortable style. After a couple of revivals in 2004 and again in 2020, the brand was closed down around 2024 when its exclusive reseller

Fred Segal Fred Segal is an American clothing and accessories retail brand founded in 1961. In 2024 the brand announced it would close its online store and most of its physical retail stores. Stores There were six Fred Segal locations in the United Sta ...

closed. The brand was acquired by Florida-based entrepreneur Jay Foreman in the late 2010s. Camp Beverly Hills vintage clothing line announced in 2020 that it is relaunching the brand. The brand would be sold via pop-up activations at

stores and their online storefront until its closure.

History

Beverly Hills' glitzy name has helped Camp Beverly Hills turn its fashion products into money-making ventures. The brand began in 1977 as an inexpensive alternative to the boutiques of

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...

. The brand's first retail store was located on a side street just off

Rodeo Drive Rodeo Drive () is a street in Beverly Hills, California, with its southern segment in the City of Los Angeles, known as one of the most expensive streets in the world. Its southern terminus is at Beverwil Drive, and its northern terminus is a ...

and became an overnight sensation, soon leading to a celebrity obsession. During the next decade, the line became popular after introducing some of the first casual clothing to use pastel colors. It expanded to be sold in major retailers, and grew their licenses to include apparel, accessories, footwear, fragrances, eyewear, and home textiles.

Brand relaunches

In 2004 the brand was relaunched by Adina Levin and Raquel Krouse. The relaunch featured vintage style casual apparel and launched at Scoop on the East Coast and Ron Herman on the West Coast. The excitement of the brands relaunch spread rapidly throughout the fashion world and quickly became a popular selling brand at high end department stores and boutiques across the country. The relaunch captured the hearts of many celebrities and long time fans of the brand as well as national press. Perhaps one of the most notable and fun artifacts which documents the historical relaunch is question number 235 in the Trivial Pursuit, Pop Culture 2 edition. Camp Beverly Hills was back in session! Due to a wave of

1980s nostalgia 1980s nostalgia is nostalgia for certain aspects of the 1980s. 1980s nostalgia is a form of decade nostalgia. 1980s retro is Retro style, retro related to the 1980s. 1980s revival is the revival of some aspect or aspects of the 1980s. Duration an ...

in the 2020s, the brand announced a relaunch in 2020, led by co-owner Jay Foreman. Forman has a history of retailing nostalgic brands as the CEO of Basic Fun!, and relaunching other iconic 80s brands such as

Care Bears Care Bears are multi-colored bears, painted in 1981 by artist Elena Kucharik to be used on greeting cards from American Greetings. They were turned into plush teddy bears and featured in ''The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings'' (1983) and ...

and

Tonka Tonka is an American brand and former manufacturer of toy trucks. The company was founded in 1946 and operated as an independent manufacturer of popular steel toy construction type trucks and machinery, until its sale to Hasbro in 1991. Histor ...

. The line will be tapping into its LA roots and is to be sold exclusively at

stores and on fredsegal.com in Spring 2021. The exclusive capsule collection and pop-up activation will recreate elements of the original Camp Beverly Hills store. After the launch, the brand planed to seek licensing partners to take it into wider national distribution in 2022 and beyond. However, with the failure of its exclusive distributor in 2024 this plan did not succeed.

References

{{Portal, 1980s 1980s fashion American companies established in 1977 Clothing companies established in 1977 Retail companies established in 1977 Clothing retailers of the United States