Saint Laurent’s first downtown store officially opened its doors yesterday at 80 Greene street in New York, one of the many steps the recently appointed creative director Hedi Slimane is taking to realign the brand’s identity. Just a block away from the newly restored home and studio of the late minimalist luminary Donald Judd, the new outpost is a sleek, monochrome space of white marble pillars and tin ceilings that honors the legacy of SoHo’s artistic heyday in the 60s and 70s.
Occupying a 19th-century block between Spring Street and Broome Street, the space is more artist’s studio than luxury store – all poured concrete, black “noir soie” marble, and near floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Designed entirely by Slimane, his attention to detail rings true throughout; below the bags and accessories that perch on white marble shelves lining the walls, sit vintage pieces by Jean Prouvé, Marcel Breuer, Erich Diekmann, and other modernists.
Showcasing both men’s and women’s collections, the vast new outpost is a nod to things to come for the brand under Slimane’s direction – and that, can only be a good thing.
