The concept behind Saint Rita is so creative and original. The designer also reveals photographs of his Seattle parlor exclusively for the first time.
We caught up with Bardon to learn about the life-changing event that inspired him to launch Saint Rita, his plans to expand into jewelry, and how he translates his brand’s word-of-mouth ethos to a digital storefront using Squarespace.
“Everything has a touch of her in it,” he says. It’s in my DNA.” Whether it be the whiskey and tobacco notes in a fragrance or custom handkerchiefs, all roads lead back to Rita. “Everything is intentional right down to the way I dress, you know, I don’t wear certain colors. “The way I live my life, everything is designed,” he says. The level of detail, customization, and storytelling behind everything Saint Rita does, from the first collection’s receipts that were baked and hand-stained in coffee to the potpourri in jewelry pieces derived from roses grown in Bardon’s backyard, is painstakingly considered and a reflection of his obsessive focus on the finer points. While its origin story and sensibility are unmistakably rooted in a laid-back Southern California cool, the brand’s essence comes from Bardon’s late grandmother, Rita, the muse for his singular collections that trace various eras of her life and nod to the experiences they shared together. If you come to the parlor, I will be there,” he says. “I don’t ever want to get to the point where there’s this sellout component. It’s a remarkable feat when taking into consideration that he does everything himself. Louis- Bardon has spawned and maintained the cult eyewear, fragrance, and accessories brand Saint Rita Parlor with an heirloom quality that is increasingly rare in the age of fast fashion.
From the confines of his home, which doubles as his studio and showroom wherever it may be-originally in a downtown L.A.