By KAILEE BRADSTREET
Village News

Rose Jabari is trying to change the way people think about the world. She wants to open eyes and minds to different cultures and hopes people will be more understanding of what’s different.
But the 24-year-old native La Jollan, who has spent time in many parts of Europe and the Middle East since she was a toddler, does not belong to an activist organization, and she isn’t running for a political office.
Instead, Jabari is utilizing what she knows best: the knowledge she’s gained from traveling and her love of fashion.
“Fashion is not just about the clothing; it’s about the culture behind it,” she said from her new La Jolla store called Love Generation, which holds an eclectic mix of garb and accessories from Australian, Spanish, Italian and French designers and her own self-titled line, including Italian snakeskin, fur and suede handbags.
Promoting what’s different is her No. 1 goal, from bohemian-style couture fur jackets, as well as dresses and blouses with layers of chiffon trim and hand-embroidered beads, right down to the shop’s dimly lit atmosphere, which boasts intricately carved furniture from France and entrancing sounds of Asian, Indian, Vietnamese and Arabic music from a series of CDs inspired by the Parisian nightclub “Buddha-Bar.”
Poised on a classic French white wooden chair with plush rainbow-colored cushioning, Jabari’s brown eyes grow wide with excitement when she talks of finally opening the shop less than three weeks ago.
“Fortunately, I have been able to travel my whole life,” she said. “I wanted to bring that to people who haven’t been able to see the world.”
She admits it has been hard. An awning sign with the store name is not as visible as she’d like it, and storage space is scarce. A lot of clothing is being kept at her home until she can make room.
She has, however, gotten through the toughest part already, she said.
Back in June 2006, Jabari’s father was sick with liver disease at Scripps Memorial Hospital, and she returned to La Jolla to be with him from Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf.
Jabari’s parents, who are both Middle Eastern, have maintained homes in La Jolla and Dubai since she was a child. When her father died in June, Jabari was determined to make her longtime career goal a reality.
“He always wanted me to be successful and get over my fears of pursuing my dream,” she said of her father. “And I wanted to make him happy. I just wish he could be here to see it.”
Jabari traveled for three months, collecting materials for her own clothing line and securing clothing from several designers, such as Kerry Grima of Australia and Magali Pascal of Italy. Love Generation is the first store on the West Coast in which Grima has marketed his clothing, Jabari said.
With the cost of leasing the space, plus traveling and purchasing the materials, Jabari has spent about $100,000 to open the shop, using money that she and her sister have been saving for many years, she said.
Bringing everything back to the United States and dealing with U.S. Customs was difficult, not to mention costly “” each shipment ran Jabari close to $10,000 “” but it has all been worth it in the end, she said.
“Just to see the look on people’s faces when they walk in is amazing,” she said. “These pieces are really like art with the amount of time that goes into making them. I hope people will appreciate them.”
Seeing people enjoy what the shop has to offer gives Jabari the energy to try harder, she said, but energy is not something the young woman lacks.
On a recent day in the store, Jabari jumps suddenly from the French armchair and scurries across the room to grab a pink suede poncho made by Grima, throwing it over her petite frame and pointing to the tiny designs that are hollowed out from the material and the precise method used to trim the fringe along the edges.
She’s wearing slender-legged jeans tucked into tall, white leather boots, which she bought in London, and the poncho matches the outfit just like she put it together ahead of time instead of haphazardly.
She begins pulling other items from the racks to explain their handcrafted details, but stops mid-action and laughs, realizing she hasn’t yet explained the meaning behind the name of the store.
Jabari believes that everyone should travel and see the world if they have the chance. She refers to travel as the most important type of “school,” saying people learn more when they experience different cultures instead of just reading about them.
But she knows that many people, especially Americans, are afraid to travel to other countries because of current political conditions, and that makes her sad.
“At this time in the world there is a lot going on, and I want to aim toward the world being a love generation “” for everyone to be accepting and open-minded,” Jabari said, as she gently touched the poncho and gazed with pride at the different cultures her store represents. “If we were like this, then we wouldn’t be in such a war right now.”
Love Generation is located at 1000 Torrey Pines Road. For information, call (858) 729-0094.