Frank Gehry designed Issey Miyake’s Tribeca flagship in New York in 2001, turning an empty warehouse into a sculpture of titanium ribbons. The store closed in 2025, but a piece of titanium lives on in the brand’s new store by SO–IL. Located on the ground floor of the Cass Gilbert–designed New York Life Building in NoMad, the new New York flagship for Issey Miyake pays homage to both the Beaux Arts structure it is now housed in and its former home.
SO–IL adapted two floors and 13,000 square feet in the New York Life Building. New glazing clads the store on three sides, while inside, elements of the original structure are left exposed, including arched windows and steel columns. At the heart of the store, a monumental transparent staircase, constructed from large-format structural glass, is precisely fabricated so that concrete treads appear suspended in space.
Spare, new elements heighten the dramatic center piece. New custom aluminum and stainless-steel surfaces and fixtures liken themselves to the building’s material palette as well as Gehry’s design for the previous flagship. The new elements create industrial clothing racks and furnishings, punctuating the open floorplan.
Throughout, Miyake’s own penchant for reducing material waste is continued in the design. SO–IL reused materials from the Tribeca store. Glass panels from the latter now make up display tables, in addition to the preserved titanium that acts as sculptural wall decor.
At the rear of the space, a dedicated gallery named MADO will host rotating exhibitions, brand collaborations, and special projects throughout the year. It’s the first gallery space in a Miyake store outside Japan.
