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'Heartbroken and helpless': Stolen Girlfriends Club founder’s home destroyed in LA wildfire

Author
NZ Herald ,
Publish Date
Mon, 13 Jan 2025, 2:51pm

'Heartbroken and helpless': Stolen Girlfriends Club founder’s home destroyed in LA wildfire

Author
NZ Herald ,
Publish Date
Mon, 13 Jan 2025, 2:51pm
  • Luke Harwood and Gabrielle Mirkin, formerly of Stolen Girlfriends Club and now Activist Mānuka, have lost their Los Angeles home.
  • A GoFundMe page to support the family has raised nearly US$50,000 of its US$65,000 goal.
  • The Los Angeles wildfires have caused extensive damage, with numerous homes and properties destroyed.

The founder of an iconic Kiwi fashion brand has lost his home in the devastating Los Angeles wildfires while holidaying in New Zealand, with his family left “heartbroken and helpless”.

Luke Harwood, co-founder of renowned Stolen Girlfriends Club, his wife Gabrielle Mirkin, and their children, Tallulah and Cisco, lost their Topanga Canyon home to the Palisades fire on Wednesday night.

The family was in New Zealand at the time, preparing to return to the United States the following week.

GoFundMe page established to help the family rebuild says their return plans have now been overshadowed by the tragedy.

Images of their Los Angeles home show their house burned and charred beyond repair, the landscape smouldering in the background.

Thousands of homes have been lost, while 16 people have died in the devastating fires. Photo / GoFundMeThousands of homes have been lost, while 16 people have died in the devastating fires. Photo / GoFundMe

Earlier in the week, neighbours had managed to save the home which previously was surrounded by lush bush, from advancing flames, but the fire reignited, ultimately razing the residence.

The property held sentimental value for the family, as it was where their children were born and where their business, Activist Mānuka, was established.

“Luke and Gabby are pillars of their Topanga community - kind, generous, and loving. Let’s rally around them and help them rebuild,” the page author wrote.

“Any donation, no matter the size, will make a difference. If you’re unable to donate, please share this campaign to spread the word.”

Formerly a pro-surfer, Harwood co-founded Stolen Girlfriends Club in Auckland in 2005 with Dan Gosling and Marc Moore.

Harwood and Mirkin founded their Mānuka honey brand 'Activist' in their Los Angeles-based home. Photo / GoFundMeHarwood and Mirkin founded their Mānuka honey brand 'Activist' in their Los Angeles-based home. Photo / GoFundMe

The brand has a global following, with collections featured in fashion shows and stocked internationally.

Together, Harwood and Mirkin co-founded Activist Mānuka, a business that produces premium, raw Mānuka honey.

They have been based in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles, for several years.

As of Monday, the GoFundMe page has raised US$49,905 ($89,670) of its US$65,000 target goal.

At least 24 people have been confirmed dead from infernos that have ripped through America’s second-largest city for five days, reducing whole communities to scorched rubble and leaving thousands without homes.

Despite massive firefighting efforts, the largest fire spread towards upmarket Brentwood and the densely populated San Fernando Valley, as winds up to 80km/h hit on Sunday, local time.

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