Acne Studio's Brand New West Village Store Feels Like a Private Showroom

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Ten months after we first spotted Acne Studio's signage on the cusp of the West Village's border with Chelsea and the Meatpacking District, the Swedish brand's highly anticipated second New York City store is now open and ready for business. Architect Sophie Hicks designed the 1,292-square foot space with floor-to-ceiling light boxes of frosted glass to reflect sunlight, and once you step in beyond the glass threshold, you'll find that the store provides the ultimate showroom experience.

It looks like a celebration of negative space: There aren't more than two of any one style of clothing on a rack (don't worry, someone would be happy to grab more size options for you in the stock room), and each hanger is equally spaced from the next. And each clothing rack — lined up at attention just like you would see them backstage at Fashion Week — is essentially a snapshot of the current collection, a reimagined capsule that shows customers how to really make the clothing work.

The majority of the racks hold women's pieces, and the men's clothing can be found on two racks, as well as folded on the metal shelving throughout the store. Women's shoes are directly in front of the store's entrance in a rounded corner with metal shelves and squishy-looking peach-colored chairs designed by Max Lamb — they're a nice contrast to all of the concrete. Men's shoes are the around the corner, at the opposite end of the store.

Next week, the brand will introduce handbags in glass display cases along the wall. And in the summer, Acne will give customers something else: a Madison Avenue store. It'll join Apple, the revamped Christian Louboutin boutique, and Aquazzura's first US standalone store in the area.