Awake NY founder Angelo Baque is using his 11-year-old apparel brand’s flagship to pay homage to his upbringing in New York City by creating a community hub for the next generation of streetwear enthusiasts.
“My goal is to have a non-transactional space,” Baque said, reflecting on the streetwear stores he used to hang out at. “Spaces that were welcoming to me as a kid when I barely had two pennies to rub together. It wasn’t about you having to buy something to be able to be a part of it. The stores were just like, we have a bench out front if you want to hang out. Then when I was able to make my first little paycheck, I went back to the store because they offered me a space where I could hang out.”
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Awake NY’s flagship opens Thursday and is located at 62 Orchard Street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. While the former Supreme brand director launched Awake NY in 2012, he felt now was the right time to open the brand’s first store to further connect with his customer base and pay homage to his roots.
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The flagship offers several exclusive and immersive experiences. Baque is teaming with a rotating list of artists for the space to create installations and showcase their art. This includes Brooklyn-based painter Alvin Armstrong, who created three original artworks displayed in the store’s windows; multidisciplinary artist Larissa De Jesús Negrón, who painted a mural in the store’s fitting room, and graffiti artist Ja.One, whose work is featured throughout the store.
“I think that it’s easy to pigeonhole what streetwear is right now,” Baque said about working with the artists. “It’s really pushing the idea of where we can sit and where we want to sit, which is the intersection of art, music and fashion. It’s not just about principles. It’s not just T-shirts and hoodies, but utilizing the store as a platform to feature artist like Alvin and educate a kid who wouldn’t normally have heard of Alvin’s artwork.”
Product-wise, the store will offer Awake NY’s full line in addition to in-store exclusives, such as collaborations with brands like Fear of God, Dr. Martens, Levi’s and others. The store will also feature an in-house Rocky’s Matcha bar.
Going forward, Baque has other collaborations slated for this year, which will be carried at the New York store.