Alumni

Grad Beau Lawrence Featured in Fall Issue of Rivet Magazine

Beau Lawrence is featured in the October 2021 issue of Rivet Magazine. The article, titled “Retail Warriors,” focuses on the independent denim shops that found success amidst a global pandemic. As the founder of Santa Barbara, California-based retailer Ace Rivington, Beau acted quickly when it came to the first signs of trouble.

“The first step we took to ride this out was to completely disregard profitability as a key function of the business,” the Fashion Design Grad told Rivet. Beau liquidated inventory with a series of flash sales before shifting production from jeans to face masks. He also launched a local delivery service to bring products to customers’ doorsteps. 

In 2020, Beau also closed his original store in Santa Barbara and moved downtown to buzzy State Street. “We now have much better visibility and foot traffic in front of our new store location, and it helped increase our brick-and-mortar business by at least 50 percent,” said Beau, who donated masks to essential workers. 

He established a charitable program that donated one meal to Santa Barbara County Food Bank for every dollar spent on Ace Rivington’s site, providing more than 80,000 meals for locals. The retailer recently launched a local tip-share fundraiser and will continue to focus on the community and supporting others. 

Learn more at aceerivington.com and on Instagram @acerivington. 

Categories:  Fashion Design Alumni