Luxury Daily –
Prada space at Dover Street Market New York
Italian fashion house Prada has created an exclusive collection to celebrate the opening of its retail space within Dover Street Market’s new location in New York’s Kip’s Bay neighborhood.
Dover Street Market pairs upscale fashion brands with street wear labels, and has placed Prada near skate wear clothing company Supreme. With this new retail location, Prada will be able to reach a different demographic, due to the nature of the store and the distance from other Manhattan Prada stores.
“The foundation of streetwear has always been extremely strong, while couture runways have typically played a large influence in regards to fashion,” said Dalia Strum, professor at the and founder of , New York.
“Now the lines are blurring and the Dover Street Market approach is a convergence of high-end streetwear with luxury and couture looks,” she said.
“The location specifically is not in a pretentious area, and the featured designers have put extra emphasis on ‘attainable’ streetwear looks to target the younger demographic within the area.”
Ms. Strum is not affiliated with or , but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Prada was unable to comment by press deadline.
Curated concept
Dover Street Market is the brainchild of Comme des Garçon designer Rei Kawakubo, which opened its first store in London on its namesake street.
This recently opened New York Dover Street Market is the third for the retail establishment, following London and the Dover Street Market in what was formerly the Ginza Komatsu department store in Tokyo, opened in 2012.
Dover Street Market New York, opened Dec. 21, is seven floors of fashion housed in an early 20th century building at 30th Street and Lexington Avenue that was originally the New York School of Applied Design for Women, and then Touro College, reports .
Ms. Kawakubo is known for her quirky aesthetic, with bright colors featuring prominently in her designs, and her iconic hearts with cartoon eyes. In the New York boutique, this translated to support columns painted into a rainbow of rectangles and abstract tunnels surrounding a staircase.
Dover Street Market New York
The space Prada created reflects this whimsical theme, with full wall murals and an olive and black checkerboard floor. On one wall, a red house sits on a tree branch, sitting on an olive background.
Prada space at Dover Street Market New York
On an angled part of the ceiling, a large female faces and gigantic florals also grace the walls of the space, which surrounds a glass elevator.
Prada space at Dover Street Market New York
Prada took inspiration from its “In the Heart of the Multitude” project for its spring 2014 show in September. The brand hired muralists and illustrators to paint the walls of its runway space in Milan, which then acted as the backdrop for the collection.
Prada “In the Heart of the Multitude” project
Prada’s exclusive collection for Dover Street Market is being sold alongside the brand’s resort 2014 collection, with a corresponding color scheme to the décor of the mini boutique. Black sequin floral appliqué is fashioned onto olive full-skirted ensembles.
Prada Dover Street Market New York
The 12-piece collection will have a different label sewn onto them, reading “Prada Dover Street Market New York,” according to .
Branded spaces
Prada has formerly communicated its aesthetic through physical displays within a store.
French department store Printemps enlisted Italian fashion house Prada to give its Paris location’s holiday windows a high-fashion touch.
The display, entitled “A Joyful Obsession,” is a colorful creation that is classically Christmas with visual elements that evoke the Prada brand, including a bold black and white checkerboard pattern and teddy bears. The windows allow Prada to acquaint more people with the brand’s image and aesthetic in a memorable, joyous way ().
One way to attract consumers to a new outpost for a brand is to offer an exclusive item or collection only available at that location.
Italian fashion label Fendi promoted its new flagship boutique in Paris with an exclusive handbag offering. The brand used social media to advertise the opening of its flagship on Avenue Montaigne as well as the exclusive Peekaboo handbag ().
Due to the layout of Dover Street Market, and Prada’s choices in its displays and product offerings at the boutique, the brand will likely reach a new audience.
“By creating a line specific to the Dover Street location, this is a strategic opportunity for Prada to reach and connect with a younger demographic while testing new items and potentially a refreshing product line,” Ms. Strum said.
Final Take
Sarah Jones, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York
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