NEW YORK — In order to gather his three apparel collections under the same roof, Yohji Yamamoto has expanded and redesigned his existing store at 103 Grand Street in SoHo. The designer expects the location to do $2 million in sales in its first year, a 30 percent increase.
Following SoHo’s lead, several other worldwide stores will begin selling all three collections. The private company has a volume of $110 million with 12 percent of revenues generated outside of Japan.
The original SoHo boutique, which measured 3,000 square feet and had a rustic feel with dark wood floors, closed for renovations in June. It reopened on Thursday, a lighter, airier version of itself with an additional 500 square feet of selling space.
Yohji Yamamoto unveiled the boutique in 1988. Since then, it’s sold only the designer’s men’s and women’s lines, the specialized collections that often feature couture techniques and are priced accordingly. For example, a jacket is $1,600.
Now, Y’s collection, launched in 1972 and until now available in the U.S. at only a handful of multibrand boutiques, such as Maxfield in Los Angeles, is being sold at the SoHo flagship. “Y’s is the Yohji cut, but it’s easy and simple,” said a spokeswoman. “The white shirt and black jacket can be worn for the next 20 years. He always does his own thing and is trendless.”
Y-3, Yamamoto’s collaboration with Adidas, is the most accessible line in terms of style and price points. Spread across a white block table are a denim halter, jacket and skirt. The halter is $305, a Y’s T-shirt is $100 and a military jacket, $480. A Y-3 runway show is scheduled for Sept. 13 during fashion week here at a location to be determined. The company promises “the show will mark a new phase for the brand, one that will see sportswear explored in new dimensions that represent Yohji Yamamoto’s signature sense of style.”
A spokesman for Y-3 said the brand has permanently moved from Paris to New York and will stage all of its runway shows here. “This is not a one-time thing,” he explained.
“[Y-3] touches on a whole other customer base, one which is younger,” said a company spokeswoman. She said that Yamamoto, who stages a runway presentation here once a decade, “feels that this is the right place. He’s excited about the city.”
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An in-house design team created a spare look for the store, which has brushed-stainless steel fixtures, recessed lighting and low, semicircular walls that showcase a single look.
The merchandise is doled out sparingly, which flies against conventional retail wisdom. “The idea is to put less out and change it often and introduce new themes,” said the spokeswoman. “Only one size of each product is on display. There will be more contact with sales associates. It requires that. It’s a whole experience.”