The Tamesis
Sarah Staudinger has a theory about Los Angeles Arts Week. As a native Los Angeles native, she’s watched the city’s cultural moment grow into something truly global, and for a long time, no one really considered its fashion side their own. So on Wednesday night, in her penthouse at the Chateau Marmont, she made her point.
Staudinger and her husband, Mari founder Ari Emanuel, hosted a cocktail party to toast the seventh annual Frieze Los Angeles, welcoming a guest list from the art, fashion, design world and Hollywood heavyweights. Orlando Bloom and Nick Kroll met near the bar, while Rachel Sennott and love story Dree Hemingway sat on the sofa inside. On the patio, Jeffrey Deitch and Casey Fremont mingled with Essence Harden, Djuna Bel and Nikolai Haas, while Scout Willis, Winnie Harlow, Devendra Banhart, Lily Kwong Kwong, Cailin Russo and Lauren Sanchez moved among the crowded, well-dressed crowd.
Also at the center of the event is the debut of a special-edition Tommy Bag created by Staud in collaboration with Merikokeb Berhanu; an Ethiopian-born painter represented by James Cohan Gallery whose work features prominently in this year’s fair’s gallery presentations. Reimagining the iconic beaded handbag through the lens of Berhanu painting Untitled CII (2025), resulting in four unique ultra-limited edition designs (only 10 pieces of each) priced at $1,300 and available exclusively at the Melrose Avenue flagship store.
This is also the first time Staud has collaborated with an artist to design this popular bag. “The fact that Mericock allowed us to photograph her amazing pieces, dissect them, and turn them into wearable art is amazing,” Staudinger said. Fashion. “I love that because then you can buy a piece of art that you might not otherwise be able to afford. And I think the way we reinterpret her pieces into beads is art on its own level. They’re so sick. We have customers who collect Tommy’s and are crazy about them.”
Staudinger’s own art can also be seen throughout. Ceramic sculptures of Henry—her smiling characters, born in her home studio and now woven into Staud’s world—are scattered throughout the penthouse. Guests also receive Henry tokens upon arrival, while a larger ceramic piece serves as a cigarette holder.
Delighted attendees ended up going home with a gift bag containing their very own Henry ceramic piece, as well as a Staud x Frieze cashmere sweater that was sure to be featured at the show throughout the week. “Henry makes me really happy, and I think other people feel that way, too,” Staudinger mused.
As the clock struck ten and the crowds filed into the night’s next art party, Staudinger summed it up simply: “I love Frieze, it’s such a big cultural moment in Los Angeles, they have rights on the art side, and I want to be their partner on the fashion side. Think LACMA and Gucci…but cooler.”
