Proenza Schouler opens SoHo flagship

Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have had that downtown-cool aesthetic on lock for more than a decade, but not until Monday did they have a store south of 68th Street.

The brand, which is sold at iconic high-end department stores such as Barney's, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue, opened a store uptown at 822 Madison Ave. a year ago, and now they've opened the doors to their SoHo flagship at 121 Greene St.

Women's Wear Daily calls the new two-level store, housed inside a historic cast-iron building, "larger, lighter and sleeker than its uptown sibling."

"SoHo has been such an iconic shopping area for us since we were young and coming to the city," McCollough told WWD. "To actually physically have a store here is kind of crazy. It’s really great.”

Thing have been great indeed for all involved with Proenza Schouler, as the brand has grown to establish itself in the apparel market in addition to continuing to produce the coveted handbags that put it on the map.

A new Proenza Schouler ready-to-wear mini-shop opened inside Bergdorf Goodman on Friday as well, just days after it was announced that the brand will venture into beauty with a spring makeup line for MAC.

The new SoHo store boasts the designers' runway collection and some exclusive, even higher-end pieces than the ones found in department stores, including a woven leather jacket and printed ponyskin, according to WWD, and the lower level is dedicated to shoes and handbags, in all their glory beneath a giant skylight.

And with a 10-year lease and an expansive billboard on the corner of Houston Street and West Broadway, it looks like Manhattan's newest luxury shopping destination is here to stay.