Bonjour from Schumacher
During Paris Design Week, American textile house Schumacher honored the local roots of founder FrĂŠdĂŠric Schumacher by unveiling its first location in the city. Designers can now pore over the brandâs thousands of fabrics and wallpapers at 9 Rue Jacob, in the showroom-laden Saint-Germain-des-PrĂŠs quarter. The Paris hub heightens Schumacherâs European presence, bolstering outposts in London, Brussels, Turin, Madrid, Porto, and Stockholm.
Holly Hunt expands its presence in LA
Holly Huntâs timelessly modern aesthetic is balanced with a jolt of raw, industrial energy at the brandâs new standalone Highland Avenue showroom in LA. Inside the original bi-level concrete structure dating from the 1940s, local firm Johnston Marklee erected two freestanding villas ringed by a street-like gallery. âOur goal was to create a space that was authentic to Holly Hunt but customized for LA, which continues to grow as a global influence for fashion, art, and design,â explains Jo Annah Kornak, senior vice president and executive creative director. âOur âhouse within a houseâ design concept is a nod to our roots in residential design, allowing us to showcase a series of curated interior vignettes of new and iconic pieces from the Holly Hunt portfolio.â
J.Crew rolls out menâs concept store in New York
Shortly after the drop of menâs creative director Brendon Babenzienâs first official collection for J.Crew, the label has birthed an equally fashionable menâs concept store in New York, at the cross of Bowery and Bleecker Streets. Spearheaded by Estelle Bailey-Babenzienâs experiential design and branding practice Dream Awake, the modern-clubby space is decked out with a coffee shop (in collaboration with locally owned brewer Urban Backyard), reading nook, record players, and for-sale artworks, and mixes the likes of a crescent-shaped sofa, checkerboard carpeting, and greenery with new and vintage J.Crew selections.
Commune reintroduces retail pop-up
In 2008, during the height of economic woes, LA-based AD100 studio Commune Design brightened the spirits of its anxious colleagues by pitching a tent in the center of its office, covering it in vibrant graphics, and turning it into a clever retail zone that eventually migrated online. Fourteen years later, the Great Commune Shop Experiment revives that tentâs quirky can-do spirit via a modular structure planted in the 1924 Spanish Colonial building in MacArthur Park where Commune is currently headquartered. Taking cues from Comme des Garçonsâs 1990s guerrilla stores, the motley artisan-made offerings, like carved wood bowls reminiscent of nesting dolls and abalone seashell incense holders, will be on display until the new year.
