Hot, sweaty evenings into nights, foldout chairs sprawling onto the sidewalk, the odd trek up a five-floor walk up to a sought-after rooftop soirée. New York summer is a far cry from a picturesque European beach club. And that’s exactly what brands are banking on.
Ahead of peak summer, brands from Barcelona-based Gimaguas to London’s Fruity Booty have set up shop across the pond, opening limited-time pop-ups in New York and Los Angeles. While, next week, Cou Cou Intimates is returning to NYC for the second summer running. Other brands are jumping on the US train, but swapping the two coastal go-tos for less obvious, but still buzzy American destinations, like Australian activewear brand CSB’s action-packed 25-day Miami pop-up. Even US-native brands are getting in on the action, swapping coasts to reach shoppers East to West; last weekend, LA-based brands Cleo Camp, Brooke Callahan and Lizzie Ames upped sticks for a three-day ‘Spring in New York’ NYC shop on the Lower East Side. These brands aren’t focused on summer holidays, but on dressing women for their everyday city lives during the hot summer months.
“Our brand really connects with that feeling of wanting something that lifts your mood, and summer is definitely at the core of our spirit,” says Claudia Durany, co-founder of Gimaguas. “Our clothes are lightweight, easy to wear in the city during summer, and also perfect for traveling and packing,” co-founder (and twin) Sayana Durany agrees. “You can fit so many Gimaguas pieces into a single carry-on, which makes them ideal for that effortless summer-in-the-city lifestyle.”
The bi-coastal It-girls certainly think so. In both Los Angeles and New York, stars including Addison Rae, Amelia Gray, Emily Ratajkowski and Paloma Elsesser posted an array of summery looks in the Gimaguas changing room, tagging the brand and making it known that it was in town from Spain. The girls were invited in for gifting, but are also existing brand fans, so purchased extra items, the founders say. “Everything happens very organically. Most of the girls who come already know the brand, have shopped with us before, or naturally wear Gimaguas, so the pop-up simply becomes a more personal and fun way to experience it,” Claudia says. It’s going well — the brand’s LA pop-up was up 90% versus last year, and the New York pop-up is open until June 21, but the numbers are looking “great”, Sayana says.
