There’s a class of pop-up shops that have the tendency to look and feel a little thrown together. But The Rare Walk, Loro Piana’s well-conceived new store in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, is in a league all its own.
The space, which will be open for one month only, looks like the Italian brand’s latest campaign come to life—and that’s by design. In the campaign, a group of acclaimed international dancers perform The Rare Walk, choreography that uses out-of-the-box movements to convey a single message: no matter where you’re going, there’s more than one path to get there.
The store, appropriately, is dedicated almost entirely to Loro Piana’s excellent footwear. As you walk in, you’re surrounded by a garden of oversized fibers that underscore Loro Piana’s long history of producing some of the world’s best cashmere and wool. On the ends of some of these fibers rest a selection of sneakers, including editions of the 360 Lp Flexy Walk and the 28Matches 360 Lp, so named because their Wish wool knitted construction and ultralight soles weigh in at just 360 grams.
The middle of the store features an atrium that looks like a slice of the nearby High Line park was airlifted into the store. Beyond this, you’ll find a wall featuring pairs of Loro Piana’s Open Walk and Summer Walk styles, the comfortable suede loafers that have become something of a must-have among the brand’s well-heeled clientele. The Rare Walk will be the first place you can get them customized to your color preferences. There’s even a mirrored selfie booth, perfect for capturing a Boomerang or two before you head to the register.
Sadly, the saying that nothing gold can stay applies as much to this shop as it does to, well, everything else. The Rare Walk is scheduled to close in late June. But fret not: the store will re-open in November after a few months of renovation that will turn it into a new Loro Piana store—it’s first in downtown New York. And with an increasing number of luxury brands heading into the neighborhood, that timing couldn’t possibly be better.
