Balenciaga Store NYC - Hippest Shop in Town

Today we’re going to talk about one of the New York city hippest shop, Balenciaga flagship store located on Mercer Street.

Balenciaga’s store on New York’s Soho neighborhood heralds more than a serious dose of sophistication, it’s also the brand’s first boutique launch under artistic director Alexander Wang.

The store is an ultra-luxe space intended largely to emulate the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but if words are not your thing, just take a look at the numbers below:

4120 square feet
5400 square feet of marble used
3 times taller regular ceilings
1 giant curved skylight
2 limestone blocks near the entrance that mannequins stand on like ancient busts
1595 dollars the brand’s small-sized “Le Dix” bag will set you back
1250 dollars a weekend vacation at the Mercer Hotel across the street will set you back
3 blocks the store is from the Alexander Wang boutique
9 other designer flagships on Mercer Street including Marc Jacobs, Phillip Lim, and Vera Wang

Wang collaborated on the project with 28-year-old New York designer Ryan Korban, working primarily with classical Verde Ramegiatto marble, limestone and forest-green suede.

Marble is the prevailing material in the space, lit by a skylight and sustainable LED lightboxes.

With its distinct veining, the dark green marble is a central symbol of the boutique’s identity, while a curving LED skylight veiled by a geometric metal trellis emits a soft glow – echoing museum-quality lighting.

More contemporary accents include ‘cracked resin’ for a mineral effect, poured concrete and ‘caviar’ embroidered upholstery, referencing the house’s Avenue George V headquarters.

About Balenciaga

Cristobal Balenciaga started his couture house back in 1918, influencing the next century of fashion with his dramatic, sculptural silhouettes. The line, dormant for nearly 30 years, stepped into the ready-to-wear arena in the nineties, reproducing classic looks for a minimalism-obsessed fashion world. In 1997, Nicolas Ghesquière was named creative director. Under his influence, the fashion house became a bellwether in the industry, influencing trends at all levels of the market. Shining moments have included the inimitably sought-after robot leggings, the reinterpreted ikat print, the new jodhpur, equestrian helmets, outrageous experimentation with volume and proportion, a recurring fascination with science-fiction shapes and techno-fabrics, and a modern reworking of classic prints. Shoes—whether vertiginous wedges or knee-high gladiatorial flats—were highly coveted and often bondage-y tough. In addition to revitalizing the namesake collection, Ghesquière oversaw the creation of the Edition line, which features reissued couture classics, and the Capsule collection of less-expensive runway-inspired pieces, which make up the bulk of the business. In November 2012, the brand announced that it was parting ways with Nicolas Ghesquière and named Alexander Wang as the new creative director.