Man Repeller to Make Leap to Physical Realm

Leandra Medine, the woman behind the blog Man Repeller, on March 1 will launch the brand’s first pop-up, MR Bazaar, at Canal Street Market located at 265 Canal Street. The store will operate Friday through Sunday.

“MR Bazaar at Canal Street Market brings a dream I’ve had for a while to life,” Medine said. “It is the first time we’ve created a physical manifestation of the site. While the space will sell merchandise, at its core, it will be as a community hub that’s open to all.

This story first appeared in the February 24, 2017 issue of WWD. Subscribe Today.

“We’re not in the game of chasing page views,” Medine added. “We have a tremendous comments section where the comments are all so insightful and intelligent, if not always agreeable. I thought, we’re fostering this incredible community.”

Medine said Man Repeller in June launched a community event series with commentators. “It got me thinking that it would be incredible if we had a space where we could bring the dot-com to life, where people could come and shop, sit and read, get cool recommendations, drink a coffee and discover a new food.”

When she found out that Canal Street Market had some open space, “I was excited,” Medine said. “We wanted to partner with them because they’re giving a platform to all these artists trying to get their work off the ground.”

The pop-up shop will Monogram x Man Repeller collaboration T-shirts, the MR by Man Repeller shoe collection, hats, T-shirts and mugs. The shoes, a collaboration with Six London, are sold exclusively on Net-a-porter. In addition, there will be limited-edition Name Glo x Man Repeller neon LED lights — in the shape of boobs. “We’re obsessed with breasts at Man Repeller,” she said.

The launch event will be celestial-themed, with tarot card and palm readers, and scalp massages. There are six planned in all, including a game night.

Man Repeller will be at Canal Street Market for a month. “If things go well, I’d love to explore what the future of a permanent Man Repeller space would look like,” she said. “I’m eager to see how people respond to Man Repeller in real life.” Asked whether she aspires to designing a fashion line, Medine said, “I have a very particular point of view when comes to fashion, but I’m really a genuine fan [of other designers]. I feel my taste is being accommodated by what’s already out there. I don’t want to add to the noise. I guess, it will depend on how badly I need to scratch this itch.”