Everlane Flagships — New York + San Francisco

Leong Leong’s design for Everlane’s first brick and mortar flagship stores, in New York’s Nolita neighborhood and San Francisco’s Mission District, rethinks the future of retail space. Collaborating closely with Everlane on the overall brand strategy and store experience presented a unique opportunity to challenge the assumptions of retail design today and focused on creating a simple but considered environment that utilizes “soft” technology to leverage the seamlessness of online shopping in the physical space of a store.

New York

The 3,000-square-foot space is an open and airy environment washed with natural light from four large skylights. Translating the brand’s ethos of “radical transparency,” the store’s primary design elements are a series of monumental display units organized symmetrically along the central axis of the space. Each unit is wrapped in white perforated metal to maintain transparency while incorporating accessible storage on the sales floor.

The store is highly functional and shoppable, but also extremely pure in its aesthetic palette. The fixtures in the store are designed with very simple geometries, resulting in tactile and accessible forms.

Similarly, the 14-foot structural glass storefront invites customers off the sidewalk and a small lounge at the front of the store provides a casual transition into the shopping environment while maintaining a connection with the city.

Rethinking the typical fitting room became an opportunity to create a more elevated encounter with the product, but also celebrates the social aspect of trying on clothes. To achieve this, the fitting rooms incorporate a communal area washed with natural light. Customers can lounge on a communal bench while waiting or try-on clothes in front of a mirrored wall that anchors the rear of the store.

San Francisco

The inspiration for the San Francisco store was a contemporary art fair.  The art fair represents the increasingly blurred boundary of culture and commerce. Thinking of the retail environment as an art fair integrates the display of product with content and storytelling moments.

Leong Leong’s design for the 4,000-square-foot flagship transforms an existing warehouse space with exposed wood joists into an open and airy environment washed with natural light from large skylights. To create a more direct visual connection between the interior and the street, Leong Leong opened the storefront with large pieces of structural glass. The store’s primary design elements are a series of modular displays that are wrapped in white perforated metal, running the length of the space. Following the art fair reference, the display system creates a meandering series of spaces for different product stories along the customers’ journey.