Tory Burch has returned to downtown New York City, opening a new store concept at 151 Mercer St. in Soho. Burch, who moved to SoHo right after college, opened her first boutique a few blocks away from Mercer Street in 2004. The new location also reflects an evolution of the retail concept, and will offer the Tory Burch collection, including Home, the new 151 Mercer handbags and a series of limited-edition Lee Radziwill Double Bags, exclusive to this location.
“I could not be more excited about our Mercer Street store. It is an evolution of our retail aesthetic, and I have loved the creative process, combining a modern space with signature decorative elements and details that are personal to me,” said Tory Burch, executive chairman and chief creative officer. “The downtown location feels like a homecoming, just a five-minute walk from where we opened our first boutique on Elizabeth Street.”
Created in partnership with Curiosity architect Gwenaël Nicolas, the boutique balances Tory Burch’s aesthetic with a modern point of view. Brand codes — oak, rattan and brass — are reimagined in different finishes and tones, and humble materials are used in unexpected ways, creating the tension between high and low that Tory often references in her collections.
The ground floor is defined by four main areas and features. A specially designed parquet pattern floor, made with wood and ceramic, leads into the space. Baskets suspended from the ceiling form a canopy of natural texture above handbags and accessories. This detail was pulled from Burch’s memories of woven baskets from all around the world that hung from the kitchen ceiling in her childhood home in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Beyond, a wicker honeycomb structure, inspired by her own bee apiary in Antigua, is designed specifically for handbags, small leather goods, jewelry and personal objects she has collected. Landscape artist Miranda Brooks created an outdoor garden space behind the store.
Work by women artists and local artisans is featured throughout 151 Mercer. Francesca DiMattio, whose sculptures challenge traditional norms of femininity, was commissioned to create a chandelier suspended in the second-floor shoe salon, as well as hand-painted rails. A hand-hammered metalwork Tree of Life motif lines the underside of the staircase.
The second floor features footwear and the Home collection. The shoe salon is built in a circular room; the ceramic chandelier hangs above a divan de milieu that has been redone in vintage patchwork quilts found in antique markets. Beyond, pieces from the Home collection are shown in a cabinet inspired by a vintage armoire in Tory’s home.
The third floor is dedicated to ready-to-wear and is reminiscent of a living room with a geometric layout, pink rag rug, floral chintz sofa and bold ceiling pattern.
ICP x Tory Burch: A “New” New York is a partnership with the International Center of Photography that highlights the work of four women artists — Jutharat (Poupay) Pinyodoonyachet, Paola Fiterre, Lara Alcantara Lansberg and Willamain Somma — who focus on the re-opening of the city in 2021. The photography can be seen in the window and on the first floor of 151 Mercer, offering the artists’ perspective on how the city landscape has been altered by the pandemic, as well as a sense of hope in its renewal.
Tory Burch is also supporting local downtown organizations, including Parsons School of Design, the Henry Street Settlement, the Angelika Film Center and the Children’s Museum of the Arts.
