Ganni Unfurls New Store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Ganni, the Copenhagen-based brand, is expanding its presence into Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
The brand, owned and run by the husband-and-wife team of creative director Ditte Reffstrup and founder Nicolaj Reffstrup, will open a 900-square-foot store at 113 North 7th Street in Williamsburg today — its sixth U.S. store and second New York City outpost. It opened Ganni Mercer in SoHo in October 2019. The brand is sold in more than 600 retailers, as well as 27 Ganni concept stores across Europe and the U.S.
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Asked why they decided on Williamsburg, Louise du Toit, executive vice president, North America for Ganni, said, “When the pandemic hit, as with many brands, we quickly pivoted to a d-to-c, e-commerce-first business. As cities cleared out and tourism halted, it became very clear from our data that we have a super engaged and active audience living in Brooklyn, specifically Williamsburg. Our customer lives here, so why not bring the Ganni world to their doorstep?”
For the new Brooklyn store, Ganni commissioned Colombia-born, Brooklyn-based artist Didi Rojas to create her first mural. In addition, Ganni has commissioned an exclusive run of custom-reworked Ganni T-shirts from local designer Kim Nguyen of Nguyen Inc. Riffing on classic “I heart NY” Ts, they are available for $250 exclusively at the Williamsburg store.
“We love working with a creative collective, so you’ll be seeing more local collabs and exclusive capsule collections from us in the future,” said du Toit.
The store features all of the brand’s collections, including ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories and swim. Retail prices range from $25 to $695.
The design concept of the Williamsburg store is similar to the Mercer Street door, with a welcoming, homey vibe inspired by the family home of Ganni’s founders. The decor features an eclectic mix of recycled glass tableware from Danish glass artist Nina Norgaard, in addition to vintage furniture pieces from one of Denmark’s most-celebrated mid-century modernist designers, Borge Mogensen.
Christian Larsen
Photographs of the Danish capital taken by Serbian photographer and friend of Ganni Ana Kras cover the walls, a nod to the brand’s hometown of Copenhagen. In addition, there is artwork from American contemporary artist Emma Kohlmann. Ganni plans to host community workshops and events in the intimate back garden.
Christian Larsen
As with each of its locations, the store was designed with a large focus on responsible elements. There are display podiums crafted from recycled plastic waste from Smile Plastics; interior trays made from pressed old fabrics, and upcycled Artek stools and rugs made from recycled leftover Ganni fabrics from previous collections.
Among the store’s services are complimentary personal shopping appointments, either virtual or in-person.
The company declined to give a first-year sales projection.
Ganni looks to add more stores this year: “Absolutely. You’ll be seeing more Ganni shops popping up this year and next. Exact locations are in the works — our community is generally pretty vocal on where they would like to see us next and we love it,” said du Toit.
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