Luxury Brand Dominique Cohen’s Take on Fashion as Art

Blurring the lines between art and fashion, Dominique Cohen shares a love for creativity at the brand’s El Paseo shop.
Story By: Site Staff
Dominique Cohen
Photography courtesy Dominique Cohen

Step into Dominique Cohen to be inspired by impeccably crafted collections at their art-filled boutique. Known for its designer and custom jewelry, the luxury lifestyle brand has recently expanded into apparel, accessories, home goods, and art. Standout products include dazzling jewels, bespoke hats, and intricately dyed silk scarves amidst pop culture art pieces and vintage movie memorabilia. Here, everything is meant to be interconnected: art inspiring art.

With a flagship shop in Beverly Hills, expanding to the desert was a natural step for brand founder and designer Dominique Cohen, who previously displayed the brand at Saks Fifth Avenue. “We loved the area, and we knew that we had a following here, so it made a lot of sense for us,” she shares.

Intentionally created as an “experimental gallery,” the new location expanded the brand while showcasing their unique and limited pieces as art shown in a gallery. “The whole feel of the store is that everything in it is artistic,” Cohen says. El Paseo, known for its local art scene including the monthly art walks, is the perfect fit for this up-scale shop.

Customers can be part of the artistic process, too. Clients are guided through customizing hats with ribbons, vintage laces, hardware, and even diamonds for truly stunning pieces. Browsing the curated selection of uniquely dyed silk scarves and kimonos, patrons can also find one-of-a-kind patterns that stand out.

Customizable jewelry is still the focus here, and pieces are intended to be timeless and versatile. “Our perspective is always that jewelry is your wardrobe because it can express who you are,” shares Cohen. The same philosophy is applied to their accessories and apparel with specific attention to colorways and patterning, so they can be easily incorporated back into prior collections, expanding the wearability of pieces that a client may already have. “Every season we home in on a couple different motifs. We try to use subtle details so that the items relate,” shares Kelsey Spiroff, Dominique Cohen designer and creative director.

Spiroff shares she is most excited to unveil fresh pieces about to launch like handbags and cowboy hats inspired by vintage spaghetti Westerns and the Clint Eastwood movie memorabilia that adorn the shop’s walls. “I think there’s a really interesting dynamic of western accents right now that is really cool, so I’m really excited to bring these out,” Spiroff says.

Another of her favorite pieces is a black pear-shaped diamond tennis necklace, offering a contemporary take on a classic. “We really love the black metal, and it’s a really edgy and really cool piece,” Spiroff adds. The necklace is currently available in-store.

When it comes to keeping things local, Cohen finds that the brand fits in perfectly with the laid-back desert lifestyle. “We love the idea of dressing casually and throwing on a couple pieces of jewelry to pull a look together and have it be more finished,” Cohen says. And for an elevated look, the silks collection has proven popular here in the desert. “People want to be able to throw on something that is comfortable but looks pulled together,” Cohen shares. “We are big fans of our silk because it’s very soft and comfortable and breathes on the body.”

Everything at Dominique Cohen is proudly manufactured in its Los Angeles factory, allowing their creative team to keep a close eye on production to ensure every artistic detail is perfect.