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Saks Fifth Avenue, Brookfield Place by Found Associates, New York. Photography by Jason Schmidt

Fifth Avenue is now downtown

New York – Saks Fifth Avenue is shedding its conservative image with its new concept store, which brings luxury to Lower Manhattan.

Brookfield Place includes younger brands that are new to Saks such as Vetements and Romance Was Born
The concept store is being heralded as ‘a platform for retail theatre’

The architect Richard Found has been given free rein to create a new space for Saks Fifth Avenue in downtown New York. The three-floor department store, which stocks more than 200 luxury beauty, clothing and accessories brands, is entirely dedicated to women’s lines and will be joined next spring by a nearby menswear store.

Saks Fifth Avenue is looking to make its mark on Lower Manhattan before competitors Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom arrive, which is scheduled to happen over the next two years.

‘Twenty-five years ago, Fifth Avenue was the centre of luxury. Now it’s downtown,’ Saks president Marc Metrick told Business of Fashion. ‘It’s important for us to come and create this at both ends of the balance. This ensures that Saks is first and foremost on everyone’s mind.’

The Big Picture

The face of luxury is adopting a grittier aesthetic to appeal to down-to-earth Millennials. See more in the Get Real section of our Luxury: New Aesthetic Opinion piece.