By Cassell Ferere originally published on Forbes.com

On June 17, 2022, The Hong Kong-based guide to all things streetwear, Hypebeast, opens its first retail space, housing two floors of streetwear brands and high-end labels, located in the Chinatown neighborhood of lower Manhattan. The modular retail space curates a collection of stand-out streetwear brands, all merchandised by Erin Kiona Thompson, Global Director of Buying and Merchandising for Hypebeast’s HBX e-commerce platform and retail store. 

With a launch party happening just two days before its opening at 41 Division street, social influencers, fashion insiders, and guests of all kinds were invited to experience the new retail and event space. A place for the fashion community to come together, from the ground floor to the seventh floor and rooftop, designed to inspire and cultivate. Guests got to experience the entire floorplan, from the courtyard on the first floor, housing a cafe, sneaker display, and a Coinbase vending machine that delivers redeemable tickets for digital prizes. 

The clothing filled the racks guided guests through the store, and without a mannequin in sight - artfully displayed selected pieces of clothing were on metal installations with cinder block foundations. In the front window of the HBX store, a percussionist band played Jazz-like notes while the roof spun contemporary music that was the background to a 360 view of New York City.

Brands like Brain Dead, Stone Island, OAMC, and Reese Cooper, blend on the racks with luxury labels like Jil Sanders, 1017 Alyx 9SM, Thom Browne, and JW Anderson. What is created as the Hypebeast ecosystem, the seven-floor building complex is the US hub for streetwear culture and community connection. This cultural ecosystem will house two floors of retail space that includes discrete points of sale, and a subtlely frosted wall design that hides fitting rooms with a private client room. Racks and shelves can shift through the retail space, designed specifically for its location at 41 Division Street in Chinatown, NY. 

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