Pacific Palisades resident and Tower 28 founder Amy Liu has been grappling with devastation in her neighborhood since flames ripped through it on Tuesday.
Liu is among roughly 180,000 Los Angeles residents who’ve been forced to evacuate their homes due to wildfires, including the Palisades, Sunset and Eaton Fires. Almost all the homes on her block have been destroyed. While hers miraculously is still standing for now, she doesn’t know if it’s feasible for her family to return to it to live.
“My daughter’s elementary school burned down. There’s been six elementary schools, to my knowledge, that have burned down in the area. There’s no markets anymore. My coffee shop is gone,” she says. “There’s nothing to go back to.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, over 9,000 structures have been destroyed by the wildfires as of Thursday evening. They may end up being one of the most expensive wildfire disasters in American history, with costs of at least $20 billion.
Like most entrepreneurs, Liu a doer. After the fires started raging, she began reaching out to other brand founders to organize a gifting suite to support Pacific Palisades residents with donated personal care and food and beverages. The suite will be open next week in Tower 28’s Los Angeles office.
Over 70 brands have agreed to donate merchandise for the gifting suite. Among them are Ouai, Yse, DedCool, Dr. Squatch, Rael, Fresh Sends, Opositiv, Dae, OSEA, Summer Fridays, Necessaire, Geologie, Fenty, Beekeeper’s Natural and Saint Jane. There may be enough products to have more than one event and provide goods to the Boys & Girls Club.
“I just felt helpless,” says Liu. “I wanted to do something to bring people together and to give people something to look forward to.”
Other Los Angeles beauty brands are chipping in, too. Taking a cue from Tower 28, fragrance brand By Rosie Jane will be hosting a gifting suite on Jan. 16 for Eaton Fire victims and first responders. The brand will accept product donations through Jan. 15.
Clean beauty retailer Credo Beauty has enlisted the assistance of its brand partners to assemble and distribute Credo Beauty Care Packages to people affected by the fires. Haircare brands Roz and Flora Flora are donating a percentage of their sales to nonprofits aiding with wildfire relief. Flora Flora is putting together hygiene packs for displaced residents, and The Honey Pot Company is working with local organizations to get period care and hygiene products to displaced individuals.
VI Peel CEO Marya Khalil, an LA resident who’s been able to remain in her home, offered to open up it up to families in need. “We have electricity, wifi and water,” she wrote on Instagram Stories on Thursday. LA-based brand Evolvetogether is donating medical-grade face masks and essential personal care to shelters and evacuation centers in affected areas.
“So many members of our team and beloved community call California home, so without a second thought, we began mobilizing our essential goods to give back to those impacted by the destruction,” says Cynthia Sakai, founder and CEO of Evolvetogether. “We have an open call out to our local community—through direct messages on social, text and phone—to reach out for any support needed on the ground. We’re here to help and will continue this fight together.”
While Evolvetogether’s business hasn’t been directly impacted by the wildfires, other beauty companies haven’t been as lucky. Topanga-based Sacred Rituel had to close its facilities, halting order fulfillment for the time being. Sugaring and tanning destination Sugared + Bronzed close three locations. Its corporate team resides in evacuated areas. The company has reserved a block of hotel rooms near the LAX airport that it’s opening up to LA residents, including employees. Facial bar Formula Fig has closed its LA locations, and it’s collecting personal care, pet and electronics donations.
Flavia Lanini has opened its West Hollywood spa for donation drop-offs. Nail salon Clique partnered with LA-based content creator Loreen Hwang to have its LA location operate as a donation drop-off location through Sunday after founder Nra Kudelka saw Hwang driving all over Los Angeles to pick up donated items. In addition, Clique will donate 15% of service proceeds over the weekend to the Los Angeles Fire Department Fund.
“I grew up here and have been evacuated so many times and know how scary it is,” says Hwang, an LA native with 280,000 Instagram followers who used to live in the Pacific Palisades. “I knew, if I asked our community, people would come together. I made one post and hundreds of people have shared it. I am grateful with the response.”
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