LONDON — Shinola is getting ready to bring its U.S.-made designs to London.
The Detroit-based company will open a 400-square-foot store on Newburgh Street in Soho, just off Carnaby Street, in October. “[London] is a city that’s as global as they come,” said Steve Bock, chief executive officer of Shinola.
The space, set over two floors, will carry Shinola watches, leather goods, journals, pet accessories and the label’s Supply collection of curated product, along with Shinola’s bicycles. Three of the watches in the store will be in colorways that are exclusive to the space in Europe — a women’s Runwell and a men’s Runwell, along with an all-black Brakeman model.
Bock said the London store would follow a similar design concept to Shinola’s New York and Detroit spaces, which boast exposed brick walls and polished concrete floors, but on a smaller scale. “We’ll pack 10 pounds into a five-pound bag,” said Bock. “The whole idea is that we want to represent everything that Shinola stands for — quality, craftsmanship [and] workmanship.”
Bock noted that the label chose Newburgh Street because “it’s still somewhat of a destination. It’s exactly how we want to be seen and positioned,” he said. Other stores on the street, which has more of a boutique feel than nearby Carnaby Street, include Filson — another label owned by Bedrock Manufacturing, Shinola’s parent company — Levi’s Vintage, Evisu, MAC Cosmetics and a number of independent jewelry and clothing stores.
The store is set to open Oct. 24, and before that, the label will launch a European Web site, at shinola.com, that will be managed from Europe and will deliver across the region. The site is set to launch Oct. 1. Currently, Colette in Paris carries Shinola’s products, along with Mr Porter and Net-a-porter.com online.