Dive Brief:

• Building out its physical footprint, DTC fashion brand Reformation last week opened a flagship store in the SoHo neighborhood of New York.
• The 2,612-square-foot store represents Reformation’s 39th retail location globally and its fourth in New York, according to details emailed to Retail Dive.
• Reformation’s focus on sustainability is reflected in the store’s functional use of wood, stone, and aluminum. The store is offsetting 100% of its electricity usage with renewable energy.

Dive Insight:

The flagship’s new design concept was created in consultation with Paris-based Festen Architecture. Housed in an historic 1881 building at 62 Greene Street, Reformation’s SoHo location is a mix of modern and vintage elements. The design concept will be carried forward as the brand opens new stores.

Reformation currently has stores in the U.S., Canada, England and South Korea. It plans to open a new store in Bethesda, Maryland, in mid-July for a total of about seven before the end of the year, according to the company.

As part of its commitment to sustainability, Reformation features RefRecycling, a program for consumers to recycle used goods from the brand, including shoes, denim, sweaters, activewear, outerwear and handbags. Customers turning in recyclable products will receive credit toward new purchases.

The SoHo store includes several tech features, including touch screens in all 12 dressing rooms where customers can virtually shop the array of Reformation’s vintage-inspired collections. There are additional screens throughout the store for customers to select styles they wish to try on without having to carry them around.

Founded as a vintage clothing brand in 2009 in Los Angeles by former model Yael Aflalo, Reformation has been a champion for the environment and opened the country’s first sustainable factory in downtown Los Angeles in 2013. 

Global investment firm Permira in 2019 acquired a majority stake in Reformation and has maintained its banner as a sustainable fashion brand. 

The majority of Reformation’s revenue comes from e-commerce sales, with retail comprising about a third in total, per the company. Reformation has wholesale partnerships with retailers like Nordstrom, Net-a-Porter and Saks Fifth Avenue.