Most impressive fashion and retail headquarters in New York City
loading...
Still the undisputed hub of fashion, New York City offers companies a pool of world-class creative talent, sought-after retail spaces as well as an abundance of annual fashion trade fairs and designer showrooms. Around 900 fashion businesses have their headquarters in The Big Apple and the fashion industry employs 6 percent of the city’s workforce as stated on nyc.gov. Besides having a desirable address, the headquarters of a major corporation in New York City is more than just a workspace, it has come to represent the company culture and brand values to its staff and visitors. FashionUnited takes a look at five of the most impressive fashion and retail headquarters in NYC that take center stage.
Tiffany and Co.
A trip to Manhattan almost seems incomplete without a mandatory visit to the Tiffany and Co. flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Just a few metro stops towards Midtown, Tiffany and Co.’s NYC headquarters can also be found at 200 Fifth Avenue, right next to the Flatiron Building. Located in a historical building formerly the address of the International Toy Center, the jewelry brand’s headquarters spans seven floors and 400,000 square feet.
Tiffany executives make decisions from an exclusive penthouse floor with its own library and oversized boardroom. Meanwhile, all of the company’s employees are surrounded in a clean and crisp energy efficient workspace that houses merchandising labs, creative retail mock up stores, designer studios and even a fully stocked high end pantry on each floor.
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (Dior, Fendi, Louis Vuitton)
The chairman and CEO of LVMH, Bernard Arnault, is the richest person in the fashion industry and heads the largest luxury goods conglomerate in the world. Made up of over 70 luxury brands such as Dior, Fendi and Louis Vuitton, LVMH most recently made a bid to acquire Tiffany and Co. for about 14.5 billion dollars. Built in 1999, the LVMH Tower on East 57th Street, near Madison Avenue is the US headquarters of the iconic company and a New York City landmark in itself. Designed by famed architect Christian de Portzamparc, the 24 story skyscraper is clad entirely in glass and each business in the LVMH group occupies its own floor.
LVMH employees go to work in a luxuriously adorned space embellished with metal and wood by interior designers the Hillier Group. There is also a special Magic Room where events and meetings are held. Just this week, the LVMH Tower hosted the Green Journey program with Lasell University which saw LVMH supporting future leaders to explore sustainability and responsibility through workshops, store visits, and direct access to its professional network.
Nike Inc.
Although Nike’s origins can be found in Oregon, the unwavering sportswear brand has nurtured a deep relationship with New York City for decades. With a long history of working to support local high schools’ basketball teams, Nike most recently partnered with the New York City Dept. of Parks and Recreation to add a splash of color to the Stanton Street Courts with a painting by the artist, KAWS.
In 2017, Nike unveiled the stunning New York HQ covering nearly 150,000 square feet across six floors at 855 Avenue of the Americas. The Nike NYHQ not only houses an integrated design studio, it represents the company’s efforts to position itself as a leader at the forefront of influential style and sports hubs. Boasting a 4,000 square foot indoor basketball court, complete with seating for 400 people-this astonishing space hosts local leagues, community partners, and is also available for Nike staff.
Condé Nast (Vogue, Teen Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair)
A modern full-fledged media company with a heritage in fashion, Condé Nast publications such as Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair still very much dictate the style and trends of North America (and the rest of the world). Just as bold as the media conglomerate, Condé Nast’s headquarters calls 222 Broadway home, with views looking right onto One World Trade and the Financial District.
Producing not only print publications, but also projects in television, premium digital media and virtual reality, Condé Nast’s headquarters provides its employees an environment to brainstorm, communicate and collaborate freely. The mass media company’s in-house employees as well as its many freelancers and consultants congregate at one of the office’s many common areas-particularly at the lounge on the 15th floor which is said to be modeled after the ambience of a San Francisco loft. The eclectic vibe of the space is accentuated with tables from West Elm and chairs from DWR and Knoll to create a cool yet fun, never-want-to-leave-the-office feeling that encourages its employees to hangout and exchange ideas. Another example of this collaborative company culture is shown through how connected the Condé Nast headquarters is set up. For example, any material Condé Nast employees are working on can be accessible from all conference rooms and open meeting areas.
Glossier
Making a name for itself as the 'millennial make up brand' and with sights to become the 'Nike of beauty', Glossier’s millennial founder, Emily Weiss, got her start as an assistant at Teen Vogue. Established only in 2014, Glossier garnered more than 86 million US dollars in funding within four years reported Bloomberg. The company’s expanding headquarters takes up all three floors of a building in the hip area of Soho, Manhattan.
Its 150 employees work out of a light filled space with decor entirely inspired by Glossier’s rose-tone branding. There’s a powder room that has a red vanity modeled loosely after the bathrooms at Radio City Music Hall as well as vintage furniture in caramels and cream to create an intimate yet contemporary workspace. “All of the conference rooms are not only named after a powerful woman who inspires us (Kate Moss, Beyoncé, Madonna, Naomi Campbell), but also have their own Google calendar so we can reserve them. It’s great, because you’ll say, ‘I’ll meet you in Beyoncé at 2pm,’” Weiss said in an interview to lifestyle site, MyDomaine.
Click here to apply for fashion jobs in New York City on FashionUnited.
Photos: Pixabay, LVMH Tower via Wikicommons by Jaugustin, Today's YouTube, Condé Nast Instagram, screenshot of Glossier’s website