Retail

The old Aimé Leon Dore — ALD, colloquially — was open from 2019 to 2022 and rapidly became NoLita’s gravitational center, perpetually choked by sidewalk crowds. This new one felt less like the headquarters of a trend-savvy men’s wear brand with a rabid fan base than a members-only midtown social club or an Upper East Side gentleman’s atelier. The walls are dark wood, the lighting is muted, the clothes are displayed museum-like, with plenty of space to linger and take in the details.

Art hangs throughout, including a Rene Ricard painting in the back room and a Tyrrell Winston installation in the front.

How Aime Leon Dore Took New York
By John Caramanica, New York Times

“Situated at 49 Mercer Street, the artful New York flagship is Toteme’s latest embassy and exercise in physical expression.
The store celebrates the artistic legacy of SoHo, with architectural elements typical for the local place combined with
Swedish Modern designs that highlights Toteme’s Stockholm roots and Swedish design heritage.
The interiors include eccentric fabrics and furniture designed by Josef Frank for iconic Stockholm interior design company Svenskt Tenn.

Toteme on Mercer Street is developed in close collaboration with renowned Swedish architects and constant Toteme collaborators Halleroed.”

Text provided by Toteme.

HS2 was the executive architect for the LEED Silver certified Chanel NYC flagship boutique, designed by Peter Marino Architect.

The renovation and expansion of the existing 57^th Street boutique saw the flagship grow from 3 to 6 floors, with a new 6-story oversized aluminum and glass façade, completely new interiors and a monumental 4-story white marble cantilever staircase. A 60-foot-tall glass-bead necklace sculpture by the artist Jean-Michel Othoniel hangs in the stair opening, connecting the four main retail floors.

In addition to the boutique, several floors of Chanel office and showroom spaces were also built-out on the upper floors of the 16-story building.

We were the project architects for the Ralph Lauren flagship store, a ground-up building in Manhattan’s Upper East Side Historic District. The four-story limestone structure is noteworthy for its use of the highest quality materials and detailing: carefully crafted limestone, wrought iron, and bronze metal work, rich woodwork, and ornate plaster detailing.

Based on late nineteenth century French Beaux-Arts buildings, the design was warmly received at public hearing by the Landmarks Preservation Commission and received a Certificate of Appropriateness for meeting contextual design criteria.

The adjacent townhouse was incorporated and clad with refurbished stone. It features new, curved-wood double-hung windows, and a new limestone portico and areaway at the original entrance to the building to match historic photographs.

We were the executive architects for the Polo Ralph Lauren Fifth Avenue flagship store in the 1927 limestone “Coca-Cola Co” building. This three-story renovation housed the Polo clothing collection as well as the popular Ralph’s Coffee on the second floor. The renovation included The Polo Bar on 55th Street, Ralph Lauren’s first restaurant in New York City.

The new bronze entrance doors and storefront windows incorporated the original bronze found on the existing ground floor façade. The interiors featured meticulously-detailed stained and painted pine floors, walls and ceilings, rustic river-stone fireplaces, and machine-age inspired steel and glass elevators.

With this location, the Stockholm-based fashion house Acne Studios was launching its innovative retail design concept in the United States. Having completed the New York home for Acne Studios’ executive chairman, we were asked to work with Sophie Hicks Architects (London) on the design of the West Village store.

The site was originally three small stores that Acne Studios demolished to create one large space. The clean, minimal aesthetic is articulated with a glass and stainless steel store front, custom stainless steel millwork, and custom curved translucent glass walls for the lighting. These refined materials contrast starkly with the raw natural concrete floors, and the minimal architecture highlights Acne Studios merchandise.

“The stores are a great back drop for our clothing, shoes, and accessories,”
says Mikael Schiller Executive Chairman for Acne Studios.