Dezeen Magazine

Stoffa New York City

Stòffa opens New York City flagship with "calming backdrop"

The in-house design team of New York menswear brand Stòffa has mixed vintage and contemporary furniture for its flagship store in SoHo.

Fashion brand Stòffa focuses on "championing a shift toward quality, sustainability, and individuality" through made-to-order clothing and predominantly operated out of pop-ups before opening up a 2,000-square-foot (186-square-metre) retail space in New York City.

Desk facing wall
The internal design team at Stòffa has created a flagship shop in Soho

The team focused its design on "natural materials" – often used for the brand's clothing.

"We use all-natural materials in our collection, often highlighting existing fabrics no longer in production, and carried this ethos into the design of the store," said the team.

A desk facing a wall
The team mixed contemporary and vintage furniture in the space

"The space is outfitted with a mix of vintage and modern fixtures that highlight the beauty of diverse cultures and periods," it continued.

The space consists of a front showroom that displays a seasonal collection, while a narrow passageway covered by linen lace curtains leads to a large private area for made-to-measure fittings.

Over four months, the team stripped back the space to reveal original elements such as concrete floor slabs, and brick and plaster walls then outfitted the interior in a palette of neutrals and a deep brown to provide "a calming backdrop" for visitors.

A store with a large planter and furniture
The front of the shop is "gallery-esque"

The shop is organised to "encourage a thoughtful approach to wardrobe building" according to the team, with a large, open room at the front and a more "home-like" space in the back.

"The front room is gallery-esque. It's deliberately merchandised sparsely, giving each garment room to breathe," said the team. "As you transition to the private room, the space feels more intimate and home-like."

At the front, the space is divided almost symmetrically, with four, slender hanging racks placed on either side of the room in front of small changing rooms.

On one side, a vintage wooden desk and mirror, paired with a metal sitting chair with curving armrests, sit between the clothing racks. A large glass planter, wooden stool and warm-toned boulders sit in the corner.

A private room for trying on clothing
The back room was designed to be "home-like" for fittings

A floor-length mirror sits on the other side and between the, two ash wood benches topped with light pink circular cushions.

In the back room, a large custom solid ash table made in collaboration with Brooklyn-based Studio POA, founded by Guatemalan designer Giovanni Valdeavellano, sits beneath a skylight, framed by a large built-in closet made of the same wood.

A large desk in a retail store
Ash wood furniture was used throughout the shop

"This anchors the space and serves as the meeting point for our made-to-measure appointments," said the team.

Geometric MM chairs by Milanese designer Mario Milana finished in lamb suede were placed throughout the space and a wavy, wooden privacy screen provides a changing area.

Tall ash closets were fitted into the passageway between the two rooms and contain storage for the store.

Chair next to wooden screen
The palette is dominated by neutrals and a deep brown

"The store reflects the brand's refined aesthetic sensibility and provides a calming backdrop for the elevated shopping experience," said the team.

Founded in 2014 by designer Agyesh Madan and Nicholas Ragosta, Stòffa is a New York-based clothing brand that designs made-to-order clothing in the pursuit of creating more sustainable and individual menswear.

Nearby in Soho, fashion brand Kith placed olive trees in the centre of display units and architecture studio Al-Jawad Pike used an assortment of marble to create a second flagship store for Athletic Propulsion Labs.

The photography is by William Jess Laird

More images

A jacket hanging on a rack
Chair sitting next to stump
Jackets lined up in closet