John Hardy opens first US flagship store in New York City

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Dec 3, 2016

Hong Kong-based luxury jewelry company John Hardy announced on Thursday the opening of its first US flagship store in New York City.

 The 1,200-square-foot flagship store, which opened on Black Friday, is the result of John Hardy’s full brand transformation under CEO Robert Hanson, who joined the company in 2014.

John Hardy tapped architectural firm Design Republic to design the store, which retains John Hardy’s creative vision and Balinese roots. The flagship interior features custom millwork such as hammered brass accents and mirrors etched with the John Hardy chain motif and locally sourced materials such as black walnut that was used to make large jewelry display tables.

Hardy founded the luxury jewelry company in Bali in 1975 after being inspired by the island’s traditional jewelry craftsmanship. The flagship store has many references to Bali such as the Ubud Workshop that changes music and lighting throughout the day to evoke the rising and setting of the sun, as well as the store layout itself that calls for customers to move through the store like the island of Bali itself.
 
John Hardy created an experience for the five senses at the flagship. The company collaborated with Brooklyn-based artisanal perfumer Joya to create one-of-a-kind candles for the space, and installed a teakwood tree root sculpture hand-carved by Balinese artist Made to celebrate Hardy’s passion for art, sculpture and sustainability. The flagship also houses a creative sanctuary concept space on the second floor for artisans.
 
In addition, the John Hardy Cinta precious jewelry collection and exclusive items from the John Hardy Chain, Legends, Bamboo and Dot collections are available in store.
 
Catterton Partners, a private equity firm, acquired John Hardy in 2014 and appointed former American Eagle Chief Executive Robert Hanson as CEO. Under Hanson’s leadership, John Hardy elevated its product design, launched new marketing campaigns and appointed Hollie Bonneville Barden as Creative Director. The company plans to open more boutiques in key cities and expand e-commerce. Today, John Hardy operates a standalone boutiques in Houston and an Ubud Workshop and showroom in Bali.
 
The John Hardy flagship store is located at 118 Prince Street.