Lawson-Fenning, the designer-favorite Los Angeles furniture brand, has sold a majority stake of its business to Stand Out For Good, the parent company of faith-based apparel retailers Altar’d State, Arula, Tullabee and Vow’d. The deal will see Stand Out For Good executive Tana Ward become Lawson-Fenning’s new president, and founders Glenn Lawson and Grant Fenning will remain in leadership roles.
According to a release accompanying the news, Lawson-Fenning will continue to operate independently and keep its Los Angeles headquarters, with Lawson as chief creative officer and Fenning as chief design officer. “This partnership allows us to scale with intention,” said Lawson. “With the support of Stand Out For Good and Tana’s leadership, we’re excited to grow while preserving the DNA that has always defined Lawson-Fenning.”
The union is a surprising one. Both companies operate in different segments of the market, with different approaches.
Founded in the late 1990s by Pasadena art school students Lawson and Fenning, Lawson-Fenning has made its bones as a stylish trade-focused furniture brand—Michael S. Smith and Kelly Wearstler were early cheerleaders; Brian Paquette and Josh Greene have both collaborated on collections with the company.
Lawson-Fenning has flirted with a wider audience (it debuted a collaboration with CB2 in 2022), but it’s still best known among designers. Its price point—most sofas range from $5,000 to $10,000—comes in at the higher end of retail.
Based in Tennessee, Stand Out For Good is built on the success of Altar’d State, an apparel brand focused on women in their 20s. Founded in 2009 by retail executives Aaron Walters and Brian Mason as a “modernized Christian shopping experience,” the company has expanded rapidly, now operating more than 100 stores in 30 states.
Altar’d State’s aesthetic leans contemporary boho-chic, with flowing silhouettes and floral prints (the brand is sometimes compared to Anthropologie). Its selection comes in at a midtier price point, with most items ranging between $50 and $150.
A 2019 profile in WWD describes Altar’d State as taking a low-key but direct approach to its Christian roots. “We are faith-based. It doesn’t matter what your background is, where you are from or what your beliefs are [to work or shop at Altar’d State]. But we do run our business on some simple principles—treat others how you want to be treated and give much help to others,” said Walters. “We put love into our business.”
According to the company’s website, as part of Stand Out For Good’s “Mission Monday” program, it donates 10 percent of Monday net proceeds to charity. The company also gives employees four hours of paid volunteer time every month. In 2018, Altar’d State launched a plus-size sister brand, A’Beautiful Soul, which was later renamed Arula. A children’s-focused brand, Tullabee, came next, followed by a wedding brand, Vow’d.
More recently, Stand Out For Good has set its sights on the home. Three years ago, it announced it was developing a contemporary furniture and decor brand and hired Ward (formerly co-president of Ben Soleimani and chief merchandising officer at RH) as brand president of home. Later in 2022, the company filled out its team with more RH veterans, chief operating officer Sean Connelly and chief design officer Mark Dvorak. The brand launched this spring under the banner Altar’d State at Home. There, sofas start at around $1,700.
Ward is enthusiastic about bringing Lawson-Fenning into the furniture fold. In the news release, she shared, “I’m thrilled to join Glenn and Grant in building on their incredible legacy and bringing the brand to a broader audience in purposeful and inspiring ways.”