Swedish eyewear model Chimi goes world, opening its first retailer in New York Metropolis at 110 Grand Road.
“Launching Chimi in America displays not solely our model’s journey but in addition a bigger cultural second,” stated cofounder Charlie Lindström. “At Chimi, we mix influences from throughout the design spectrum, our frames problem conference; they’re daring, colourful, and unapologetically playful, very similar to the postmodern architectural icons that dared to reshape skylines and views alike.”
Based in 2016 by Lindström and his childhood buddy Daniel Djurdjevicin in Stockholm, Chimi has garnered a little bit of a cool-kid following with Hailey Bieber, Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, Kendall Jenner, Billie Eilish and Beyoncé all carrying the frames. Based on the model, its philosophy is certainly one of “futuristic simplicity” with a imaginative and prescient to translate the pursuit of steadiness in merchandise and experiences. Each product — primarily eyewear, but in addition furnishings and a small edit of ready-to-wear — is developed in Stockholm.
“At this time, eyewear isn’t only a practical accent — it’s an architectural piece for the face, an announcement of particular person type. We took cues from deconstructivist beliefs, breaking down conventional shapes and creating frames which are structurally compelling but wearable,”Lindström stated. “There’s additionally a rawness in our design that’s aligned with Brutalism: a love for honesty in supplies, like acetate in its purest, most expressive kind, whether or not in translucent tints or deep matte.”
The brand new SoHo retailer places them on a worldwide stage with their tackle Scandinavian design, that includes parabolic shapes prominently all through, with curved partitions making a prism-like impact to boost the expertise at key factors throughout the area. Utilizing flowing but distorted components — from the partitions to the furnishings and even the outsized round mild fixture — the shop is supposed to reflect the signature curves of the model’s eyewear.
“After I first visited New York in 2012 with my mother, we wandered by each avenue in SoHo, absorbing the neighborhood’s inventive power. I grew to become obsessive about this power and needed to be part of it, to contribute to it. That’s why it’s been so essential to me that this retail expertise is one thing past the strange. I need individuals to stroll previous or into our retailer and really feel as impressed as I did again then,” Lindström stated.
Eyewear ranges from $165 to $260 and Lindström’s model has partnered with H&M, Ameila Grey and composer Jacob Mühlrad on a mixture of tasks, increasing past eyewear.
“This new flagship retailer is not only a retail area for me — it’s an extension of Chimi’s design philosophy. This interaction of kind, shadow, and light-weight goes hand in hand with the model ethos — the place revolutionary design meets timeless enchantment,” Lindström stated.