Agnes b.Galerie/Boutique

50, Howard Street, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States

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Agnes b.Galerie/Boutique

50, Howard Street, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States

Firm

Type

Commercial › Retail Exhibition Center

YEAR

2011

A flexible container for Fashion and Arts
SoHo, New
York City, 2010
4,000
SF
When
TRA was asked to design a new innovative, authentic, responsible and, flexible
concept for the “flagship” Agnes b. laboratory, we had negotiate often
contrasting needs and programs. The challenge
was to design a space that was a store, but also where the well known
and established, separate modes of the company could find their expression.
Like Agnes’s “point d’ironie” , a hybrid periodical - half magazine, half poster , the space is half
gallery and half retail: the curated fashion, music, art and screenings are
part of the décor.The
space, curiously located on a short street that connects the very busy Broadway
and the very private Mercer Street, had to be elegant and timeless, but also
warm and inviting, like the Agnes b.’s line itself; it also had to be specific
to SoHo and entirely flexible, allowing for repositioning or complete removal
of the fixtures, to support different interpretations and the development of
what the company describes as “projects”.The customers will be given the chance to immerse themselves
a dynamic laboratory that can be used in infinite modes, from maximum hanging
to a minimalist open gallery for art installations, performances or fashion
shows, maximizing the awareness of the product as well as of the surrounding
environment.The space presents the unusual characteristic of sloping
more than a foot from the front to the back ; similarly to other spaces
designed by the TRA, the pragmatic
resolution of the problem becomes the geometric structure and provides the
iconic image around which the design is built.A
30’ long, sleek, stepped platform greets the visitor and at once separates and
connects the front “project room”, at once a quiet lounge and a dynamic
gallery, to the store proper. The required access ramp, located at the far end
of the store, suggests a continuous looped circulation, which spontaneously
identifies the men’s the Passage Femme and the Passage Homme.
Along
the platform, the metal and wood railing is reminiscent of both, SoHo’s fire escape enclosures and of balconies in .
The
two departments share the upper “terrace” and changing rooms, an in-house
old-fashioned tailoring department , located on the lower level, reinforces the
brand’s commitment to craftsmanship and allows for the individualization of
one’s wardrobe.
A
dedicated sound system, multiple projection points, museum-like hanging tracks,
suspended shelves and bars, trolleys and storage/seating units on casters,
complete the truly flexible space.

The
contrast between the thin cables and floating thick lacquered shelves like, the
choice of rough and smooth finishes,
parallels the Agnes B. aesthetic where sturdy fabrics can be found along
side the sheer and precious. The color is sparse, changing with the transition
of the day.

The
industrial, authentic, responsible loft aesthetic and the blurred distinction
between outside and inside is reinforced by the exterior grade “green
materials”, such as soft finish concrete and historic brick walls. We
responsibly took full advantage of the historic surviving elements, as evident
in the effort of completely freeing the existing brick wall, and added a
minimum amount of minimally designed fixtures.
This is a space intended to last, where the elements will also get
better with the patina of use.

Finally,
the flag graphic, by combining the American flag with the Agnes b, signature,
summarizes the brand attitude: truly French with strong ties to the New York history.