Reiss opens in NYC
Monday, March 21, 2005
Reiss: Quality Over Quantity
By Sharon Edelson
NEW YORK — From the fiberoptic chandelier in its new 5,000-square-foot store here, to the distinctive styling of its fashion, there’s nothing cookie-cutter about Reiss.
Unlike other foreign chains that are trying to conquer the U.S., such as H&M and Zara, Reiss doesn’t have hundreds of stores. The retailer operates a modest 32 doors, most of them in the U.K.
“We’re a niche player,” said David Reiss, the company’s founder. “I’ve always felt there was a gap in the market for what we’re doing.”
the store at 387 West Broadway in SoHo, officially opens March 30, ...He defines the brand as designer-led fashion at bridge prices....
“Our product isn’t derivative,” he said. “The inspiration doesn’t come from the catwalks.” Instead, the company’s design team looks at vintage clothing, for example, for ideas.
Designers emphasize luxury fabrics such as cashmere and Italian wovens. With five key deliveries each season and new product arriving weekly...Rather than displaying clothes by classification, the company organizes clothing by color story,
The store’s decor, which uses materials culled from around the world, feels exotic without conjuring a specific place. Chandeliers were manufactured in China and assembled in the U.K. The metallic wallpaper used in the dressing rooms is from Australia.
“Everything is bespoke and custom-designed by us,” said Borrien Hopley, director of D-raw Assoc., which designed the store. Brick walls were left exposed but softened with hanging glass screens printed with scenes from the Reiss ad campaign. Floors are made of shredded and reprocessed wood and display tables and the cash wrap is tinted Perspex plastic lit from below.
David Reiss founded the Oliver shirt manufacturing company in 1970 and opened the first Reiss men’s store in London’s Bishopsgate in 1975 at the height of the “Mod look.” In 1980, a Reiss flagship opened on Kings Road in London. The women’s wear collection launched in 2000.
