Wave Goodbye To Barneys Co-Op, And Hello To Barneys New York

kentonmagazine.com
Barneys Co-Op will be renovated and re-branded. According to Women’s Wear Daily, the contemporary branch that withstood 25-years will no longer reside on New York’s Upper West Side, nor at The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles. Only the “Big Apple”, and the “City of Angles” are just the latest to close the Co-Op.
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Within the last two years, the conversion has occurred in Chevy Chase, Dallas, Houston, San Diego, White Plains, N.Y and according to VSMD.com, the Co-Op in Atlanta is set to close this summer. What was once a mecca for fashionsita’s and designers alike will no longer carry men’s staples such as the likes of Adidas, but on the upside will feature more variety in jewelry, shoes, handbags and of course, designer ready-to-wear in the revamped Barneys New York coming this summer.
On the topic of out with the old and in with the new and improved, an anonymous but close source at Barneys says, the stores in New York “are all about the edit.” Although the department store will be re-arranging it’s blueprint, this degree of “edits” is quite necessary according to inside source at Barneys. With the increase in merchandise in women’s, “you need more space,”the source goes on to say. With the assumption that there are “more women shoppers in New York.”
According to vision chief executive officer, Mark Lee, the new and improved Barneys New York must “be more designer, more special.” In other words, with the fall of the Co-op from Barney’s name, comes the rise of a higher-end shopper? Not quite. Both can coexist as more and more women now shop most of the brands previously offered at both stores.
This is especially true considering the Broadway and Grove stores are being remodeled after the the renovated Barneys Madison Avenue flagship. With the Co-Op stores ranging around 8,200 square feet, there is more than enough room for shopping galore, even during its renovation. Although the department store will have to be reconstructed in three stages, they will continue to operate throughout its construction.
senoritasusan.com
Barneys will continue to offer designer brands such as, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang, Carven and Isabel Marant. The Co-op market has changed to become more designer-driven, high end brands that have continued to sit in the Co-Op and Barneys New York [flagships] depending on the store, will now reside together in the women’s department of the renovated Barneys.
The Barneys brand will still hold a space for some Co-Op brands intermixed with new units and other designer samples. Although Barneys has remained hush-hush on the changes to the Co-Op layout and which designers it will carry, the list on the department stores website displays Balenciaga, Balmain, Comme des Garçons, Fendi, Tom Ford, as well as Saint Laurent.
All in all, Barney’s will officially conduct its last Warehouse Sale for next season, and has created an outlet website where clothing connoisseurs will be able to shop top brands at a discount throughout the year.
– Aurora D. Fowlkes
Sources: WWD, VSMD.com
Photo Source: Kentonmagazine.com, Signature9.com, SenoritaSusan.com
 
 

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