Last year, Kira Plastinina, the teenage Russian socialite turned fashion designer, brought her brand to the U.S., opening 12 locations before shuttering their doors seven months later. Now, the teenager is back, this time opening two store in Los Angeles under the nameplate K. Plastinina. While her firm, KP Fashion Co., filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2009, owing more than $50 million to creditors, this latest venture is being run by her new company, Pink Square, which is based in Russia.
Located on Robertson Boulevard and the Beverly Center, the new stores offer Plastinina’s “premium” collection called Lublu by K. Plastinina, featuring higher-quality fabrics and a more sophisticated design sensibility. (Lublu means “I love” in Russian).
According to Women’s Wear Daily, however, the new stores have drawn protests from some of the people still waiting payment for work on the retailer's original stores.