LOS ANGELES, CA — Surrounded by a sea of building ruins and cleared lots, the Palisades Village outdoor mall in LA’s Westside region is an eerily preserved time capsule of the days before the January 2025 wildfires that ravaged the city. Sweaters and suits from the winter collections are still displayed in greyed windows of Favorite Daughter and Brunello Cuccinelli. Gated streets are guarded by a mix of hired security and LAPD patrols.
Still, even among the debris, tiny glimmers of recovery are beginning to emerge, along with hopes for the city’s overall recovery. But the fires, along with other climate-related disasters including heat waves and floods, are raising questions about how beauty and fashion brands are calculating for climate risk — and revealing an uneven road to recovery for the hardest-hit businesses.
In the Palisades, remediation and renovation have begun on some standing buildings, and developers are working to attract businesses back to the affected areas. At the end of May, Palisades Village announced plans to reopen the entire mall a year from now, with one tenant confirmed so far: Luxury boutique Elysewalker, which lost a store in the fires nearby, will set up a new flagship in the Village.
“Every time that I go, there’s more signs of life,” said Elysewalker’s president Summer Holl, who called The Business of Beauty from a site visit checking on the new space. She said the Village appealed as a retail partner for “rebuilding quickly and trying to get things moving in LA toward recovery as quickly as possible.”
July 7 marked the six-month anniversary of the start of the fires, though the day itself showcased the multiple challenges facing the city as it rebuilds: A planned press conference with California governor Gavin Newsom and LA mayor Karen Bass with updates on rebuilding progress was upended when armoured vehicles and federal troops on horseback showed up to the city’s MacArthur Park in a vague but forceful display. (While officials did not explain their presence, Newsom criticised the troops’ appearance and indicated it was an intimidation tactic timed to the fire anniversary.) The events also transpired as Texas continued search and rescue efforts following devastating floods that have left over 100 dead, as natural disasters remain on the rise each year.
In LA, those who had the most resources to begin with seem primed to make quicker recoveries; others are uncertain if they’ll be able to return.
Across the city, Altadena’s main business district is showing some signs of regrowth, though many displaced retailers and salons remain in a holding pattern. Hairstylist Stacy Cunningham, whose Silhouette Hair Studio location on Altadena Drive was lost to the fires, is currently styling at a hair salon in Pasadena. She wants to reopen in Altadena, but said she will consider other locations.
“If I see something that works, I’ll do that,” Cunningham said regarding the possibility of finding a new space. “I’m not in a rush, because it’s just so overwhelming right now.”
Bringing Brands Back
In affected areas, businesses whose storefronts weathered the fires face their own challenges. The building for Altadena-based beauty supply store Simply Divine survived, but suffered extensive smoke damage and flooding, and heavy winds ripped the roof off of its forthcoming beauty school next door.
Owner Keshia Darden, who had just opened the location in 2024, immediately converted the store into a donation center for the community and reopened the business two months after the Eaton Fire. But the beauty school, whose roof was replaced four weeks ago, is still waiting on city clearance before it can officially accept students.
During this time, the landlord, who Darden declined to name, has been charging full rent, which has been “extremely challenging financially,” she said.
Palisades Village also needs extensive repairs. Heavy smoke damage means the interiors of its buildings need to be gutted down to the studs and rebuilt on the inside, said Corinne Verdery, the CEO of Palisades Village owner Caruso. Elysewalker’s rent payments will begin when the retailer takes possession of the renovated storefront, said Holl.
Developers are working to incentivise businesses to return despite the risk. Palisades Village lease terms will be reached on a “case-by-case basis,” said Verdery. (She declined to share details on what rent costs look like now.)
Another open question is whether brands can be enticed to move back to areas where wildfire risk remains high. Saint Laurent’s former Palisades Village space that opened in 2023 will now be rented by Elysewalker. Verdery said that Caruso remains in “discussions” with Saint Laurent. All other brand name tenants, from the global Sephora to the local Erewhon, have not announced whether they’ll keep their storefronts. Others that lost their locations in the Palisades, like Mother Denim and celebrity facialist Iván Pol’s Beauty Sandwich spa, have plans to embark on reopening.
“Los Angeles is my home,” said Pol onstage at The Business of Beauty Global Forum in a panel talk about the fire recovery. “I will rebuild.”
Companies of all kinds must increasingly build climate risk into their business models.
“Unfortunately, fire is an annual common thing in California,” said Verdery, noting that the areas near its Calabasas Commons and Promenade at Westlake shopping centres have also faced fires in the past. She said the company has a robust program for fire prevention, including building with commercial-grade non-combustible materials and underground powerlines as well as safety protocols and budget for the private firefighters that preserved Palisades Village with water trucks and fire retardants.
Risk and Rebuilding
Beyond the structures lost, the future potential of businesses in the fire-stricken areas depends heavily on the overall recovery of the communities. Community ties have remained strong, even without the physical presence.
“Clients that I haven’t seen in years showed up, called, sent text messages, just dropped money in my Zelle account,” said Cunningham onstage at the Global Forum. “They came through.”
With 9,195 residential properties cleared, according to a July 7 announcement by Newsom’s office, residents are only starting to imagine what a return could look like. It’s clear communities will be changed forever: 42 percent of properties purchased in Altadena since the fires are now owned by just six companies, according to Dwell. Beyond permits and construction timelines, there are myriad concerns including the availability of schools and medical centres, drinkable water and air and soil safety.
Palisades Village is replacing all the soil in its landscaped areas, while a nonprofit created by Caruso, Steadfast LA, is donating to rebuild and restore public areas including a recreation center and Sunset Boulevard public street design.
Verdery said she is optimistic about the shopping centre’s potential to make a comeback by next summer, estimating that 66 percent of Palisades Village foot traffic was not affected by the fires. An annual Christmas tree and menorah lighting event is on the calendar for the holiday season, and Verdery said more tenants will be announced in the coming months, including new brands.
“It’s definitely a risk for us to be rebuilding in a neighborhood that has lost so much, that’s going to take time and commitment to rebuild,” said Holl. “But it definitely feels like the right thing to do.”