News

New York's SuperPier slowly coming into focus

October 31, 2013

The website The Business of Fashion writes today about SuperPier, an experimental retail and event location planned to open in New York's Westside in 2015. Last September, visitors to Fashion Week got a preview of the space, and for most of November, fashion designer Michael Bastian will use the space to show off his latest collection.

According to the SuperPier website, the location will be "the most innovative culture, entertainment, dining and retail experience New York City has seen since the opening of Rockefeller Center in 1939."

Nearly 12 acres of raw space are undergoing an extensive renovation in preparation to accept the world’s most sought after retailer, restaurant, and lifestyle brands, and fuse them with the most promising emerging talents in food, fashion, film, art and other creative fields. SuperPier extends on-over-and-under the Hudson River at 15th Street adjacent to The Meatpacking District, West Chelsea, The High Line, the Whitney, Chelsea Market, and sits at one of the most trafficked nexuses of the city.

Business of Fashion notes that there is $200 million behind the SuperPier project, which takes its name from a 1952 issue of "Popular Mechanics" magazine. A large section of the project is dubbed the Incubox Marketplace, a four-tier block of shipping containers that retailers and brands will be able to lease.

The Incubox Marketplace will be dedicated to “incubating” and showcasing a fusion of international brands, local start-ups, concept shops and micro-businesses, and offer a wide range of leasing options, starting at $600 for a small kiosk of about 40 square feet, suitable for a small jewellery designer, for example. The shortest leases will be six months; the longest will last for 10 years.

Read more about store layout and design.