#ITLIST: FASHION + ART SPACES
The new trend in retail fuses our two favorite things.
When it comes to fashion and art—there's always been a great deal of overlap. We consider our favorite fashion to be art and our favorite art to be fashionable. You have to admit, the parties are pretty similar too: Free drinks, tiny food, people dressed in all black—the only real difference being louder DJ's and the likely chance that the Wu Tang Clan might show up for a surprise performance.
Three of our favorite stores are doing their part to meld the two worlds even further by selling art alongside their exclusive merchandise. They've essentially created one-stop shops to fill up your closet and cover your empty wall space. Which we think is pretty genius being that we've always been that kind of girl—the kind who has a lot of nice shoes and a lot of white wall space. The owners of Dagny + Barstow and American Two Shot in New York and Canvas in Malibu give us their take on the new trend in retail.
DAGNY + BARSTOW, 264 Bowery, NYC
"We were really tired of seeing so many of the same designers at our favorite stores and smaller boutiques, and felt there was a huge opportunity to bring in new talent from abroad. We had discovered a lot of really cool and unique lines when we studied in London together during college, so we focused on building a roster of awesome designers who didn't yet have a presence in the US. Our goal has always been to have different merchandise that is really interesting yet wearable, and we try to bring in new local and international designers each season. So far we've had a great response and our customers know they can always come to the store and find really special pieces."—Emily Titelman, owner
"With the emergence of the art and gallery scene on the Bowery, specifically Sperone Westwater and The New Museum across the street, bringing in art seemed like a natural fit. We partnered with ArtStar.com, an affordable printmaking website that has some really great, fashion-focused pieces and we also try to include different local artists each season. Again, we try to keep everything interesting and well-priced, so it's an ideal option for people who may not have the budget to buy from galleries."—Meredith Blank, owner
AMERICAN TWO SHOT, 135 Grand St, NYC
"A big part of why we opened American Two Shot is to showcase new talent, including designers, artists and musicians. It was important for us to designate part of the space as a showplace for art, yet remain just as accessible as a retail store. ATS is a lifestyle shop, so having our coffee bar Cafe Integral, a variety of products, and a sense of humor really seems to bring a warmth to the space that is usually absent in a traditional gallery environment."—Olivia Wolfe, owner
"We will continue to show a variety of art at ATS, but past shows have included work by Erik Foss, Christi Birchfield, Gordon Stevenson, and Ashkahn Shahparnia. It's wonderful to get to show new pieces by artists that we love, especially to a new viewer base that may not yet be familiar their work."—Steph Krasnoff, owner
CANVAS, 23410 Civic Center Way, Malibu, CA
"Two things led to Canvas becoming a boutique and contemporary art gallery: One, a debate with a friend about the amazing artistry that I felt existed in the design of sneakers and shoes. And two: The fact that my wife Jacqueline Forbes), our partner Anthula Nunes and I are from the east coast and we loved the way east-coast stores were often thematic/conceptual and we felt that that was missing from LA at that time. We wanted Canvas to be a conceptual space and realized through a TV show I was directing at the time, that their were so many great contemporary artists whose work hasn't been seen. We decided to create a space that would allow today's contemporary artists to have an audience—to be seen and purchased. With contemporary art as the foundation for Canvas we then decided to filter everything through an artistic premise, so that our entire shop became an experience of contemporary art, artistry, and design—from the clothes, shoes, accessories, objects, books, bikes, motorcycles—to the sculptures and art on the walls. By doing this we have been able to craft a very unique space with an exclusive product mix of brands and a continually evolving shopping environment that redefines the gallery experience."—Arlington Forbes, owner
This month, we're not missing anything that's "It." Check out our last It list here.
RAY SIEGEL
Three of our favorite stores are doing their part to meld the two worlds even further by selling art alongside their exclusive merchandise. They've essentially created one-stop shops to fill up your closet and cover your empty wall space. Which we think is pretty genius being that we've always been that kind of girl—the kind who has a lot of nice shoes and a lot of white wall space. The owners of Dagny + Barstow and American Two Shot in New York and Canvas in Malibu give us their take on the new trend in retail.
DAGNY + BARSTOW, 264 Bowery, NYC
"We were really tired of seeing so many of the same designers at our favorite stores and smaller boutiques, and felt there was a huge opportunity to bring in new talent from abroad. We had discovered a lot of really cool and unique lines when we studied in London together during college, so we focused on building a roster of awesome designers who didn't yet have a presence in the US. Our goal has always been to have different merchandise that is really interesting yet wearable, and we try to bring in new local and international designers each season. So far we've had a great response and our customers know they can always come to the store and find really special pieces."—Emily Titelman, owner
"With the emergence of the art and gallery scene on the Bowery, specifically Sperone Westwater and The New Museum across the street, bringing in art seemed like a natural fit. We partnered with ArtStar.com, an affordable printmaking website that has some really great, fashion-focused pieces and we also try to include different local artists each season. Again, we try to keep everything interesting and well-priced, so it's an ideal option for people who may not have the budget to buy from galleries."—Meredith Blank, owner
AMERICAN TWO SHOT, 135 Grand St, NYC
"A big part of why we opened American Two Shot is to showcase new talent, including designers, artists and musicians. It was important for us to designate part of the space as a showplace for art, yet remain just as accessible as a retail store. ATS is a lifestyle shop, so having our coffee bar Cafe Integral, a variety of products, and a sense of humor really seems to bring a warmth to the space that is usually absent in a traditional gallery environment."—Olivia Wolfe, owner
"We will continue to show a variety of art at ATS, but past shows have included work by Erik Foss, Christi Birchfield, Gordon Stevenson, and Ashkahn Shahparnia. It's wonderful to get to show new pieces by artists that we love, especially to a new viewer base that may not yet be familiar their work."—Steph Krasnoff, owner
CANVAS, 23410 Civic Center Way, Malibu, CA
"Two things led to Canvas becoming a boutique and contemporary art gallery: One, a debate with a friend about the amazing artistry that I felt existed in the design of sneakers and shoes. And two: The fact that my wife Jacqueline Forbes), our partner Anthula Nunes and I are from the east coast and we loved the way east-coast stores were often thematic/conceptual and we felt that that was missing from LA at that time. We wanted Canvas to be a conceptual space and realized through a TV show I was directing at the time, that their were so many great contemporary artists whose work hasn't been seen. We decided to create a space that would allow today's contemporary artists to have an audience—to be seen and purchased. With contemporary art as the foundation for Canvas we then decided to filter everything through an artistic premise, so that our entire shop became an experience of contemporary art, artistry, and design—from the clothes, shoes, accessories, objects, books, bikes, motorcycles—to the sculptures and art on the walls. By doing this we have been able to craft a very unique space with an exclusive product mix of brands and a continually evolving shopping environment that redefines the gallery experience."—Arlington Forbes, owner
This month, we're not missing anything that's "It." Check out our last It list here.
RAY SIEGEL
This story was published on October 4, 2012.
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