Woolrich opens first-ever U.S.store; more in works

New York -- Woolrich, the Pennsylvania-based outerwear and lifestyle brand, has opened its first-ever freestanding store in North America, in New York’s SoHo neighborhood. The two-level flagship carries men’s and women’s clothing and accessories from the brand’s contemporary collection, Woolrich John Rich & Bros., along with menswear from the l Woolrich Woolen Mills label. The SoHo debut follows the recent opening of three Woolrich stores in Europe, including a store in Hamburg, Germany, and Prague.



The SoHo flagship is designed as a contemporary retrospective of the company’s 184-year history. Vintage items from the original Pennsylvania mill, including wool-production tools, swatch cards, catalogues and various garments from the historical Woolrich archive, decorate the space. The store was designed by the art director of WP Lavori, Corso, Italy, the company that holds the license to design, produce and distribute Woolrich John Rich & Bros. in Europe.



The 1,400-sq-ft. ground floor features antique windows and furniture, recovered from an old hardware store, while the 500-square-foot basement level is designed as a contemporary “Woolrich Men’s Club” which will double as an event space.



“We’ve been talking about bringing our retail concept back home to the U.S. for a long time,” said Josh Rich, Woolrich, Inc. executive VP. “The brand has performed very successfully in Europe and Asia over the past few decades thanks to our partnership with WP Lavori in Corso, but we’ve never had a strong retail presence in the U.S. We’re moving into to SoHo just as the temperature is dropping, so the timing couldn’t be better.”



Expansion into Asia and North America mark the first steps in the development of the Woolrich John Rich & Bros. brand outside of Europe. By 2020, the Woolrich global store network will reach 50 locations, all in major capitals and ski resorts in Asia, Europe and North America. It will see new retail locations opening in Aspen, Boston, Chicago, Hamburg and Tokyo beginning in October.