Ovadia & Sons is dipping its toe into the retail business.
The men’s wear line created by twin brothers Shimon and Ariel Ovadia in 2010, will open a pop-up shop at 63 Greene Street in SoHo on Friday. The 2,700-square-foot store will offer the Ovadia & Sons collection as well as Ovadia+, the company’s interpretation of activewear. There will also be some exclusive product, Shimon Ovadia said, noting that the assortment will be refreshed every few weeks.
The shop will remain open through the beginning of February and following the company’s fall runway show during New York Fashion Week: Men’s at the beginning of the year, will also showcase the new collection, he added.
“This is our neighborhood,” he said. “It’s where we grew up roaming the streets, so it’s sentimental for us.”
The shop also allows the brand to have more personal experience with its customers, he added, “so we understand what’s working and what’s not.”
Although the label is carried in Barneys New York, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and other top retailers, “we feel that in today’s world, it’s not good to rely on strict wholesale and want to do more direct-to-consumer,” Shimon said. And the pop-up is a good way to take the first steps toward someday having their own flagship store.
“We’re happy with where we are as a new brand and look at the last few years as schooling,” he said. “But this pop-up store is our way of getting our feet wet.”