Able Made Pilots Sustainable Fashion-Meets-Wellness Space in SoHo
Able Made has brought its sports-inspired brand story to its flagship New York City location, which opened Monday in SoHo.
The store is designed for purpose and product with ongoing well-being activations. Sip and shops, influencer events and industry panels are among the events that will be held in-store.
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“We believe this is the perfect exclusive wellness experience where we can mesh our belief in being active and an activist and be able to engage the local community and local thought leaders by beginning a dialogue with us,” Able Made founder and chief executive officer Suzanne McKenzie told WWD.
Upon its opening, the athleisure brand is featuring a collaboration with experiential wellness company Energi, as well as a partnership with Jaden Smith’s Just Water, a spring water brand bent on fighting plastic waste with its plant-based packaging. A collaborator for the past five years, every Just purchase at the flagship will help fund Able Made’s foundation partner, Ucal McKenzie Breakaway Foundation, a health and soccer mentorship foundation started by McKenzie in her late husband’s name.
While well-being events are a strong focus, Able Made’s hero products, like its vegan fruit-fiber bags and certified organic cotton socks, will be stocked in store. Additionally, Able Made’s existing lines, which include Ts and hoodies, serve as the launch point for its first ready-to-wear collection, coming in November.
“One of the things we were already doing amid COVID-19 was domestic manufacturing, so of the businesses, we probably were one of the least affected,” McKenzie said, noting the company is “very diligent” about using domestic manufacturing, organic, deadstock and vegan materials. About 98 percent of the brand’s offerings are made in the U.S.
Customers can expect Able Made’s first essentials line to bridge its existing sustainability viewpoint in time for holiday. Capturing what McKenzie calls an “athlete’s mindset,” she is steering the decade-old company away from its frequent collaborations (Puma was one past collaborator) and into its own lens.
“[Collaborations] will be less frequent [so] we can celebrate what we’re doing as a brand on our own,” McKenzie said. “I think we have a very specific viewpoint that we’re going to start revealing in the coming weeks.”
Hexagon geometric lines (representing a soccer ball), repurposed materials and eco-inked branding are key elements in the store’s design that speak to the company’s evolving viewpoint.
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