Daily Paper On Delancey Is Front-Page Worthy
Walking down Chrystie St, the three-story building glistening with tiffany-hued jewels caught my attention two blocks away. The exterior of the Delancey location is luxurious, and clean, but also inviting. Of course I planned my trip to Daily Paper, but for anyone else walking the streets of NYC, the brick and mortar is pleasing to the eye and with ‘Daily Paper’ placed in huge lettering on the front and side of the building along with their logo, there is some mystery created to pull new customers in to discover the brand and see what’s behind those two large, glass doors.
My initial thoughts about the store were that it was very spacious and that there were many elements to interact with. The first thing I gave my full attention to was their recently released SS21 collection. The racks were filled with beautiful colors, modern suiting, and luxury garments infused with African heritage. Daily Paper was founded by Hussein Suleiman, Abderrahmane Trabsini, and Jefferson Osei, who are all of African descent and grew up in Amsterdam. It is clear that the trio uses their African heritage and experiences with the Dutch culture to inspire the design elements of their collections. It is also visible in the NYC retail store that integrating the founders’ heritage into the brand is important, even the mannequins are custom-made to align with the brand’s story.
On the second floor, I was greeted by a wonderful Daily Paper member and a coffee bar. It was at this moment I knew I would be spending an extended amount of time inside and returning to do it again. Wonderful clothing and coffee/tea — what more could I ask for. This floor was filled with more menswear and womenswear, specifically a variety of t-shirts, trench coats, light jackets, sweatpants, denim, and accessories. In the middle of the second floor, there is a narrow streak of glass floor wide enough to see the daily paper logo on the first level of the store. On my way to the fitting room, I took a few moments to admire a depiction of the United States of America created out of thinly rolled news paper that floated above a line of fatboy chairs. These are the interactive elements I hinted at in the beginning. The store is a true, immersive experience that no e-commerce platform can compete with. Even the fitting room added to the experience, it was filled with several mirrors to provide a complete 360 view and covered by chic curtains embroidered with the daily paper logo. The only thing missing were hooks to hang my clothes, but I’m sure the team will install some as more customers make their way into the new store.
The icing on the cake is that the third floor is a rooftop. It was closed at the moment, but will hopefully be opening up around the beginning of summer. The Delancey location is definitely more than just a retail store; it has the potential to be a meeting point for lovers of the brand and creative people in NYC, similar to how people gather around VFILES on Mercer. When I find gems like this, I internally battle with spreading the word and telling everyone I know how great it is, but at the same time having a selfish desire to keep it all to myself. However, there’s no hiding Daily Paper as the brand continues to elevate, grow their consumer base, and open brick and mortar locations around the globe.
