New Esprit grows up with customers

Esprit hopes to recapture the American retail scene after it sold its interests to foreign investors in 1989. (Handout / December 5, 2007)



By Matthew Lysiak | Special to amNewYork
December 5, 2007

If it can happen to Transformers, Cherry Coke and the Boston Celtics, then why not that floral crop jean jacket? Children of the '80s say hello to a familiar face -- Esprit. The iconic clothing line of the Reagan era is vying for a sequel.

After opening three Manhattan stores since 2004, the once-vintage-now-modern retailer has returned to reclaim its place in the American market with a bold move to the city's busiest stretch on Fifth Avenue's Rockefeller Center between 48th and 49th streets.

"Esprit's first three Manhattan stores have been so well received that it seemed natural to open our next store in this famous New York landmark location," said Jerome Griffith, president of Esprit North America.


Natural or not, following nearly a decade of absence from the American fashion scene, the company, which has storefronts in the Flatiron District, Time Warner Center and SoHo, isn't trying to play to teen girls in the mall anymore.

"Our customer has grown up, she used to be 14 and she is now 34," said an Esprit spokeswoman. "We have grown up with her."

That means the line now has a more mature target and is branching out by unveiling twelve clothing lines annually in a combination of style and marketing reminiscent of H&M meets Gap.

The Esprit concept of youthful, affordable luxury wear was founded in 1968 by a young "hippie" couple Susie Russell and Douglas Tompkins and later spearheaded into the dominant clothing line of the '80s. The couple divorced in 1989 as the company's American presence went the way of the Berlin Wall, and interests were bought by foreign investors. But the store didn't fizzle off like New Coke, instead it relocated ala David Hasselholf -- which is to say it repackaged its concept in Europe.

Now, after opening 640 retail stores in more than 40 countries, they are now getting serious about re-conquering the US market.

"It is an interesting move and a real good location," said Leslie Price, editor of Racked.com. "What they are offering now is safe, fairly affordable quality clothing and where better to set up then in Midtown, where everyone already dresses that way?"

Topshop: SoHo's British invasion

Chic clothing store comes to Broadway
By Matthew Lysiak

Special to amNewYork

November 7, 2007

The British are coming! The British are coming!

Topshop and its cheap, chic clothing are rumored to be invading stateside with an American flagship debuting in the heart of SoHo as early as this spring.

The location at 478 Broadway, which could be up to 90,000 square feet of retail space, would replace landmark skateboard store Yellow Rat Bastard, and further fortify the neighborhood's already strong retail blend. The move makes sense, according to one retail expert.

"SoHo is the epicenter of the New York City shopping scene, and when you think of how much space they'd need and the type of walk-through traffic they'd want, it really only makes sense for them to open on Broadway in SoHo," said Leslie Price, editor of the retail blog Racked.com that broke the story.

"Topshop is more expensive than H&M and Forever 21, and they operate similarly with trend-driven clothing and rapidly rotating stock."

Philip Green, whose company, the Arcadia Group, owns Topshop along with several other British retailers, was in New York in late April to scout a site for the flagship and may have been seduced by the neighborhood's diverse retail landscape that already includes Bloomingdales, Uniqlo and Prada and cheap-chic chains like H&M and Forever 21.

Broadway below Broome Street will also be getting a boost from the upcoming opening of Muji, a Japanese enviro-minimalist household goods retailer at 455 Broadway on Nov. 16th, and Crate & Barrel's CB2 which opened yesterday at 451 Broadway.

The invasion may not be the Beatles, but by simultaneously appealing to funky 16-year-olds, sophisticated twenty- and thirty- something's and Gwyneth Paltrow (as stated on the retailer's Web site), the move has already generated significant retail buzz across the blogosphere. This week retail sites from Realdeal.net to Fashionspot.com were glowing at the news and readers were salivating at the chance to loosen their purse strings.

But solid information has been hard to come by -- a spokeswoman for Yellow Rat Bastard wouldn't comment on any impending closure, Topshop's press office didn't return repeated requests for a comment, and building owner Vornado Realty Trust also had no comment. But the tight lips haven't transpired to the consumer end, where some shoppers have already popped the cork.

"I heard the news and I can't wait for Topshop to open in SoHo," said local shopper Sarah Millard. "I think this whole area is quickly becoming the best place to shop in the city."