Much like the city itself, this month’s New York stores have an eclectic feel, with very opposing styles and visions.

We’ve found an exclusive perfume store that forbids content creation and rejects digital marketing, contrasting to a big retail brand with technology built in to encourage customer images and videos.

Another interesting theme this month is brands letting the products influence the store design, from a lingerie brand with skin tone décor, to a fashion brand with a denim bear.

Get inspired with this latest crop of the best in new retail in New York.

Avestan, Manhattan

Avestan, the enigmatic perfume brand from Deciem, the creator of The Ordinary, has launched a store in New York.

The New York store has a minimalistic feel, similar to the utilitarian packaging of the perfume. Avestan eschews traditional marketing and online sales. It has to date had just one store – in London – that sells just one fragrance and it doesn’t allow customers to film or photograph the space. The launch of the New York premises sees the debut of its second perfume, Svalbard, which is exclusive to that location.

The brand also does not offer detailed descriptions of its scents, as other brands do, instead giving an idea of the influences, such as the Arctic and seeds.

Image credit – Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, Upper East Side

Lenox Hill has seen the arrival of a new smaller store concept from food retail brand Whole Foods.

The store is designed to suit urban living and offers convenience to those in New York City. The brand has also ensured that popular local brands, such as The White Moustache and Mill Hollow Maple Syrup, are offered at the store. Other local brands that are getting a location exclusive launch include Mimi Cheng’s and P-Nuff Crunch, with Talea Beer Co. creating a special pilsner named after the location.

The store will offer a range of items including fresh foods, pre-prepared sandwiches and meals, hot bowls and meals, and launched a new range of sous vide entrees and sides.

Image credit – SKIMS

SKIMS, Fifth Avenue

Following a number of highly successful pop-ups, SKIMS, the lingerie brand founded by Kim Kardashian, launched its flagship last month.

The store’s design palette is influenced by the products, with cream and beige walls and fixtures in skin tones. The store mannequins also reflect the different skin shades of the products, with some displayed across a wall.

Customers can browse the full product range such as Ultimate Bras and Fits Everybody, its latest holiday collection, and collaborations with The North Face and Dolce & Gabbana. Each month the brand will release new and exclusive products.

Alice + Olivia pop-up, Manhattan

Contemporary fashion brand Alice & Olivia launched a new denim pop-up in New York City.

The denim pop-up, open until 30 April, is located next to the brand’s Madison Avenue store and has been designed to showcase the brand’s latest denim range. The store has also been decorated with denim, including denim pockets across a wall, denim eyes, and a large patchwork denim bear.

Customers can purchase rare items, such as bespoke jackets, and see the new collaboration with Lovesac. The brand will also partner with local businesses to provide matcha, hot chocolate and other food items. A number of events will be held, such as workshops for embroidery and bedazzling, customisation and patchwork, and styling.

Image credit – Zach Hilty/BFA.com
Editor credit – Olivia LiCalzi/BFA.com

H&M Times Square, NYC

Fashion brand H&M has given its flagship in New York a new digital makeover.

New digital elements in the store include a glass wall by design agency Hovercraft, which showcases a light display to entertain customers on the escalators. 

The store also contains an experiential changing area, which is fitted with LED screens and interactive mirrors. The space encourages the creation of content, with customisable settings to display stunning visual backdrops and a selection of music curated specially for the store.

Grace Ling, Manhattan

The first retail location from New York designer Grace Ling launched this month. The designer is known for creating unusual sculptural items and fluid 3D printed dresses.

The store will function as a space for celebrity clients to view items in a showroom space, as well as those wishing to try on items in person. 

Despite high profile admirers, such as Kim Kardashian and Julia Fox, until recently, the brand had not turned a profit and the designer was working out of an office. The shop represents a new era for Grace Ling, who is hoping to broaden from the wholesale and DTC market.