Marimekko launches new store concept in New York

Finnish design house Marimekko has returned to New York with a new experimental store concept to build brand awareness and positioning, as North America is a "key market" for the brand.

At the end of 2021, Marimekko closed its New York flagship store following the expiration of the lease, and it has now reopened at 97 Wooster Street, in the heart of the SoHo district of New York.

Described as a “dynamic” store, the concept has been designed to embody the brand’s optimistic and creative lifestyle philosophy, with a retail space offering a studio-like and modular spatial concept that will evolve with different seasonal themes. It has also been designed to act as a platform for inspiring visual activations and events, and act as a creative hub for Marimekko’s community.

The store has also been inspired by the industrial architecture of Marimekko’s textile printing factory in Helsinki, Finland, and traditional retail display fixtures have been replaced by carefully selected design gems from different decades and distinct material choices.

The new store houses the brand’s fashion, bags and accessories, as well as home décor collections.

Rebekka Bay, creative director of Marimekko, said in a statement: “Marimekko’s new store in New York is an ever-evolving concept that has been designed to be rediscovered over and over again: Marimekko’s collections and their themes come to life in the space through varying visual experiences.

“Marimekko has always walked its own path in the boundaries between fashion, design, art, and architecture. Continuing this tradition, our new store aims to create a dialogue with New York, its inhabitants and creative culture. Even in the digitalised world, creative and experiential physical retail concepts have an important role as the hearts of brand culture that build awareness, deepen the customer experience and support omnichannel sales.”