New York -
Mango (or MNG as it's called in the U.S. for trademark reasons) opened its first Manhattan unit on Wednesday. The 7,500-square-foot Soho flagship store is located at 561 Broadway and
features a fetching mix of antique and modern furniture upon which the clothes are
displayed, and a 97-foot-long catwalk bedecked with mannequins. The Spanish chain is known for its affordable and fashion-forward apparel, which is often designed by known European and American designers (unlike H&M, Mango doesn't divulge any names - isn't the anonymity just delicious?), with Limited Edition collections being designed by celebrities such as Penelope Cruz and Milla Jovovich.
London - You'll find
the world's largest A|X Armani Exchange store right across the pond in jolly old London, England, the city's first store. The giant 11,700-square-foot unit at 240 Regent Street has two levels, with women's apparel on the spacious ground floor and guy's stuff upstairs. "We are very excited about opening in London," Tom Jarrold (Sr. VP of Global Marketing and Creative) told
WWD magazine. "It's a city that is about everything that is new, that's next, that's now." The London store features the new A|X Armani Exchange retail design, with a mix of large spaces and "private" rooms, plus a capsule collection exclusive to the London market, including a silk bubble dress and a leather motorcycle jacket.
Mexico City -
Saks Fifth Avenue is south of the border! After tiptoeing onto the international market, Saks stepped across U.S. territory to open up its first store in Mexico on Wednesday.
The three-level, 150,00-square-foot store is located in the upscale Santa Fe Shopping Center in Mexico City, where the success of the unit will determine if Mexico has a market for additional stores (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Puerto Vallarta!). Of course the store has the same luxury labels that the chain is known for, as well as shop-in-shops for Kiehl's, Salvatore Ferragamo, Hermes, and Giorgio Armani. The chain's first licensed store in China is scheduled to open in 2009, and Saks is currently eyeing Japan, Macau (YUM), Qatar, and India for possible openings.
