NN.07 Opens First North American Store in SoHo

NN.07 has brought a little taste of Scandinavia to New York.

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The Copenhagen-based men’s brand has quietly opened the doors to its first North American store at 276 Lafayette Street in the former Onisuka Tiger space near the John Elliott store .

The store is being operated by Justin Berkowitz, the former men’s fashion director of Bloomingdale’s, who joined NN.07 in May as a strategic partner in the U.S.

The store features a minimalistic design and was created in partnership with Contrair Collective, an architectural firm from the Netherlands. Berkowitz said the store represents a relatively new design ethos for NN.07 and features custom tile accents along with metal fixtures and furniture.

Berkowitz described NN.07 as a brand that “brings an elevated point of view to contemporary menswear,” and the store offers an assortment of both basics and fashion items. He said it has become known for its novelty shirts, such as a long-sleeve button-down with embroidered detailing that sells for $225. There are also knit polos in a variety of fabrics including cotton/linen, as well as ribbed sweaters, which Berkowitz described as a perennial bestseller.

Pants are also offered including updated chinos with hook-and-eye closures in a variety of colors and shapes that retail for around $220. They include the Theo, a classic tailored trouser, the Bill, a single-pleat cotton chino, or the Billie, which sports more of a carrot shape with an elasticized waistband and hook-and-eye closure.

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As NN.07 does in each market, there is also a selection of third-party brands curated by the operators in those markets. For New York, Berkowitz added D’Orsay candles, Folie a Plusieurs fragrance, sunglasses by Garrett Leight, ceramics by longtime friend Leslie Scanlon and jewelry and cocktail sets from metalsmith Heath Wagoner. All the bags are by the Japanese brand Amiacalva and Berkowitz selected an assortment of vintage art and fashion books that are scattered around the space.

Berkowitz was among the first Americans to discover the brand during his time as senior fashion market editor with Details, a job he held before going to Bloomingdale’s. Once at the department store, he added NN.07 to the assortment and it is now carried there as well as Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and several specialty stores.

NN.07, which is an abbreviation for No Nationality, was founded in 2007 with a simple pair of chinos, the Simon 1000, that were intended to be worn everyday like a good pair of jeans. From there, the collection has grown into a full lifestyle line that has become popular with celebrities including Jeremy Allen White , who wore the brand’s Gael jacket in the TV series “The Bear.” The brand has also collaborated with American heritage labels such as Timex and Sebago. In 2016, a majority interest was sold to Fidelio Capital, a Swedish investment firm, and three years later, Fidelio in turn sold a stake in the company to the Swedish private equity fund Litorina.

The company operates seven stores in Europe and another is slated to open in London at the end of August. And, depending upon the success of the SoHo store, NN.07 would open additional units in the U.S. “Slow but sure,” Berkowitz said. “We want to make sure New York works first, but our goal is to open more stores here.”

The brand is planning a private event to introduce the store to the industry on Sept. 6 during New York Fashion Week and a shipment of the Gael jacket will hit the store on Sept. 7 to serve the long list of customers on the waiting list for the popular piece.

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