The present, paradoxically enough, is looking good for the cult sunglass brand Retrosuperfuture. The Milanese label, whose sunglasses have long been available at retailers like Barneys and Fred Segal, has a new home: Nearly 2,000 square feet of space on Howard Street, the New York retail power-block that’s recently been undergoing something of a renaissance—again. Still the site of retailers Opening Ceremony, Jil Sander, and Agnes B., and fashion canteen The Smile To Go, a new wave of imports has lately come to roost, including Retrosuperfuture and designer Ariane Goldman’s Hatch pop-up, which is next door.
The new store is the label’s first worldwide, and it bypassed its native city to head to New York. Why? “New York is the hub!” said founder Daniel Beckerman. “Everyone comes to New York.” It certainly seemed that way from the packed friends-and-family preview on Friday night. The store carries the entire collection, ranging from the blocky acetate frames Retrosuperfuture made its name with, to newer, aviator-style models, and a New York-exclusive style, the all-black Novanta.
Retrosuperfuture is open now at 21 Howard Street, NYC, retrosuperfuture.com.