Kenzo brings premiere U.S. flagship to Manhattan

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Jun 26, 2020

French luxury fashion house Kenzo has opened its first flagship store - designed by Felipe Oliveira Baptista, the brand's newest creative director - in New York City, also marking the brand's premiere U.S. flagship. 

Opened on June 25, the flagship is located at the corner of Grand Street and Mercer Street in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood, and houses the new Kenzo x Vans collaboration launched earlier this month. The collaboration - a range of floral-adorned footwear, accompanied by a collection of ready-to-wear and accessories decorated with more archival floral prints - marks the first capsule designed for Kenzo by Oliveira Baptista, who was named as the LVMH-owned house's creative director in June 2019. 

Inside the cast iron-clad building, the flagship's interior features floor-to-ceiling mirrors, vintage 1970s leather furniture and geometric plexiglass displays, as well as metal structures and decorative smatterings of plants intended to evoke "the house's DNA and commitment to the natural world as well as Oliveira Baptista's focus on organic materials," the brand said. 

The flagship also includes a dedicated space for revolving artistic installations, the label said, starting with a vintage television presentation. 

"This first U.S. flagship is envisioned as a continuously evolving ecosystem where artistic installations and community gatherings are delivered alongside the brand’s newest offerings," the brand said, "creating a unique experience that is distinctly Kenzo." 

The flagship joins the brand's other New York City-based outposts located at Hudson Yards and inside Bloomingdales on Third Avenue in Manhattan.