Emporio Armani Returns to SoHo
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After a six-year absence, Emporio Armani has returned to Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood with a flagship that opened Tuesday in the heart of the historic cast-iron district.
“To me, SoHo represents the very essence of New York, the relentless energy of the city that never sleeps and is constantly reinventing itself, a city on the rise once again after a few tough years,” Giorgio Armani said in a statement.
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The one-level flagship, located at 134 Spring Street, covers a total area of 420 square meters, or about 4,500 square feet. It’s housed in an early 20th-century building with a distinctive architectural style, including an eye-catching trompe l’oeil eagle design on the side of the building.
Respecting the existing architecture, Armani, along with his team of architects, designed the store so it retains many of the structure’s original features. The brick walls, typical of the area, have been left exposed and the ornate metal ceiling, cast-iron columns with capitals and authentic dark oak floor have been preserved. At the back of the shop, a long skylight allows natural light to filter in, illuminating the large accessories area. Furnishing elements are light and linear, such as the metal hangers that descend from the ceiling or the slender black metal shelves.
The store is arranged with thematic sets and ad-hoc lighting that will be regularly rearranged to embody the different themes of the collections and provide a sense that the presentation is constantly changing and fresh. For the first time, Emporio’s collections are displayed in the center of the space.
The store showcases Emporio Armani’s men’s and women’s clothing and accessories, watches, eyewear and jewelry. Over the years, the Emporio Armani image evolved from a younger diffusion line to a trendier, more fashion-oriented complement to the top-tier Giorgio Armani line. Emporio, which Armani launched 42 years ago, survived the restructuring and streamlining of brands Armani initiated in 2017, when he decided to discontinue Armani Collezioni and Armani Jeans and streamline the Armani fashion empire to focus on the Giorgio Armani, A/X Armani Exchange and Emporio Armani labels.
SoHo itself has undergone an evolution, with the pandemic taking a toll on businesses and sparking several store closings. This year, however, there have been several fashion stores opening in SoHo, including Alaïa, Esprit, Kirna Zabete, Philipp Plein, Cult Gaia and Khaite.
To celebrate the return of Emporio Armani to SoHo, a special ’90s-inspired collection sold exclusively at the location includes for men, a dinner jacket, coat and formal Prince of Wales suits reinterpreted in a contemporary key, and for women, cocktail dresses entirely covered in sequins and soft suits with defined shoulders.
Other menswear offerings include the “executive line” check jacket, priced $1,695, shown with a wide-legged check trouser, $695. There is also a velvet jacket, priced $1,195, shown with a tropical weave trouser, $595, and a calfskin moon derby, $575.
Women’s offerings include a double-breasted blazer, $1,295, shown with a flat-front trouser, $845; a women’s black jumpsuit, $795, worn with a shearling jacket in pink herringbone with leather detailing, $4,595, and black patent leather lace-up shoes, at $545.
Emporio Armani’s connection with the city of New York is furthered through its fall 2023 advertising campaign shot by Gregory Harris. Black-and-white photographs depict models against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline and pay tribute to the Emporio Armani Magazine.
Armani noted that SoHo, with its art galleries, distinct architecture, international shopping and unconventional atmosphere, is still “the ideal setting for the new space, which perfectly reflects the brand’s universal and cosmopolitan spirit…It is here, in the most authentic downtown, that style, ideas and creativity are born and intertwined, with an immediacy that is mirrored in its unmistakable architecture, now firmly etched into the collective imagination,” Armani said. “I return to this district with enthusiasm and newfound awareness. Never invasive, my new Emporio Armani shop fits seamlessly into the context, paying homage to the urban landscape and reflecting our unwavering commitment to sustainability.”
Emporio Armani in SoHo was originally opened in February 2000 at 410 West Broadway, but that store closed in January 2017.
Among the future Emporio openings: a pop-up in Bal Harbour, Florida, is slated for mid-August, as well as subsequent units launching in Japan, specifically in Kyoto and in Tokyo’s Roppongi and Ginza districts, as well as in Vienna, Macao and Athens.
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