Luxury Women’s Clothing Label Kes To Open Second Location in New York: Lease Gives Hopeful Sign for Hard-Hit Retail Market
Luxury women’s clothing label Kes, which says it makes all of its collections in New York, is opening its second Manhattan location in the SoHo neighborhood.
Kes will open its store, spanning nearly 1,100 square feet, at 339 West Broadway between Broome and Grand streets, landlord Manhattan Skyline Management said Friday in a statement.
The space features a shopping area on the street and mezzanine levels, as well as double-height ceilings that rise to over 22 feet in certain sections, Manhattan Skyline said.
Kes, which currently has a store on the Upper West Side, is opening the SoHo location through the Leap Platform, which helps brands open their own brick-and-mortar shops and negotiate deals with landlords.
Kes’ clothing is made in New York’s Garment District using biodegradable and organic materials through a process that minimizes waste and is dyed locally using a plant-based technique, according to the statement.
The deal gives a hopeful sign for New York’s retail market as it still struggles to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Manhattan Skyline, for instance, said it has seen other retail openings at its downtown Manhattan properties in recent months, including children’s boutique Two Kids and A Dog; international independent preschool, kindergarten and lower school German School Manhattan; and Japanese restaurant Shiki Omakase.
However, some improving leasing activities aside, the Manhattan retail market’s return to a prepandemic normal will still take time. Retail buildings in the city have lost more than 20% of their market value in the past fiscal year, as demand has been hurt by the lack of office commuters and tourists, according to a report this week from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
