A new luxury pop-up, Figure Eight, hits SoHo’s Greene Street with the latest in sustainable and vegan fashion, jewelry, and beauty—just in time for the holidays.
The brainchild of fashion industry veterans Tina Bhojwani and Nicole Marra, Figure Eight is a curated pop-up focused on sustainable luxury goods across the fashion and beauty sectors. It’s holding its New York residency through the 2021 holiday shopping season.
Bhojwani is co-founder and CEO of the vegan luxury shoe brand Aera New York, and Marra is founder and CEO of the boutique consulting firm, Fixer Advisory Group.
The space is large for a pop-up—showcasing the breadth of the booming sustainability market; it’s spread across 4,350 square feet. It was designed by creative team Leanna Diller and Elizabeth Kiester in collaboration with Rebel Walls, Reform Design Lab, Molo, FLOR, and FDK Florals. The space itself is a sustainability feat, too, featuring repurposed copper clothing racks; 3D-printed chairs, FSC-certified wallpaper reinforced with nylon fibers, printed with low VOC, non-toxic inks, and hung with a potato starch paste. The shop’s fitting rooms are made of recycled paper accordion walls. All of the shop’s packaging is recycled as well.
Shifting the paradigm
“The past 18 months have taught us the importance of physical connections and experiences. They’ve also reinforced the urgency to rethink traditional systems, including retail, and uncovered an opportunity to redefine the in-store experience for digitally native brands,” Bhojwani said in a statement.
“We know that shifting the paradigm means collaborating, which was the impetus for Figure Eight. We’re proud to bring together an incredible group of conscious brands—many of which don’t have a brick-and-mortar presence—in a beautiful space sustainably designed to enable every member of the retail ecosystem to succeed together.”
Those brands include Bhojwani’s own AERA, along with 66°North, A Shirt Story, Alexandra K, Amur, Circumference, House of Fluff, House of Waris, Maison d’Etto, Mashu London, Mavra Toufidis, Minimalist NYC, Reform Lab, Rondel Jewelry, Safely, Qeep Up, and Yatay.
The pop-up isn’t just a retail spot; Figure Eight will include panel discussions, activations, and events with artists, chefs, environmental activists, authors, stylists, and influencers.
Carbon offsets
According to the founders, Figure Eight will also offset 110 percent of both Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions as well as water used during the residency. The pop-up is working with Aera New York partner SCS Global Services to verify the carbon offsets.
“From the beginning of their journey to create the AERA footwear line, sustainability and net positive environmental impact have always been their goal,” says Stanley Mathuram, executive vice president of SCS Global Services. “Aera offsets 110% of the product carbon footprint and we are excited to see their footwear line and other sustainable merchandise available in this unique retail setting.”
Art and sustainability: Remedios and Leslie Sardinias
Artworks from Colombian artist Remedios and Cuban artist Leslie Sardinias feature prominently at Figure Eight; Remedios’ multidimensional exhibition “Atardece en el Trópico,” is on display in the front window. Sardinias’ exhibition “Perfect Blue, is in the space’s back gallery.
The exhibition comes with its own take on sustainability; Remedios’ front window exhibit, titled “Atardece en el Trópico,” aims to conjure the “collective memory” of our connection to the earth. Sardinias’ “Perfect Blue,” points to the oceans’ fragility, particularly within the marine universe of the Caribbean.
“Together, these works create unique and impactful moments as the viewer explores the Figure Eight space,” said Marra. “From the moment they enter, clients are immersed in a world full of vibrant reflections on nature.”
The Figure Eight pop-up shop is open Wednesday-Sunday, 12-7pm through December. For more information, visit the Figure Eight website.
Can’t get to New York? You can shop these Figure Eight featured brands now:
66°North
Circumference
Safely
Yatay
Related: With a New, But Old, Collection, Ganni and Vestiaire Collective Take Fashion Circular
