For decades, fashion fans in New York made pilgrimages to Barneys; the store was considered an institution. Then it went bankrupt. Now it is trying to relaunch as a brand. You take the name and use it strategically. For example, for a pop-up with the cosmetics brand Hourglass.
Ella Emhoff also contributed something. The stepdaughter of Kamala Harris, who may be the next president of the United States, is an avid knitter. And so knitted pictures of her hang in a new pop-up store in New York that is intended as a homage to the legendary luxury department store Barneys. You cannot buy the works of Emhoff, who is a talented craftsman. Depending on the election outcome, this could have been a good investment.
But there are enough other products in this temporary store initiated by the American cosmetics brand Hourglass. They are celebrating their 20th anniversary and wanted to use this occasion to celebrate not only themselves, but also a company that played a key role in their success. “Barneys was the first store to carry my products,” says Hourglass CEO Carisa Janes.
A fashion institution
Fashion lovers know: There was once hardly a more important luxury boutique than Barneys, especially in Manhattan. Known for its flair for talented young designers, the store was a destination for anyone looking for new ideas, inspiration or just a reason to spend their money. He became part of pop culture, making it into series like “Sex and the City.” Then in 2019 something happened that many saw as a turning point in New York retail: Barneys had to file for bankruptcy, the store had to close, everything from the furnishings to the product range was sold. The Authentic Brands Group bought the brand name, but nothing else. Barneys, a department store that would have celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023, no longer existed.
But what happened to Barneys, the name that still has appeal today? In fact, the Barneys brand has continued to operate since the acquisition. Since 2021, ABG has been cooperating with a competitor, the Saks Fifth Avenue department store chain. Barneys has its own “shop-in-shops” in Saks stores that specialize in emerging designers. There are also at least ten independent Barneys boutiques in Japan.
Last July, the business platform Bloomberg reported that there were plans to establish Barneys as a brand with its own product line of sportswear, underwear and home products. The pop-up has nothing to do with these projects, which have not been officially confirmed by ABG, but it proves that the nostalgia factor can bring a lot out of a brand that was thought to be dead if the image is right. Hourglass and ABG hired former Barneys employees, former fashion director Julie Gilhart and ex-creative director Simon Doonan to develop the concept for the pop-up. They were able to get brands like Proenza Schouler, Marc Jacobs and Thom Browne to sell their designs at the pop-up (The Row had canceled). The opening party gathered stars such as model Emily Ratajkowski, Katie Holmes, Alek Wek.
“I believe people continue to crave special shopping experiences, and Barneys offered exactly that,” says Carisa Janes. However, it was not enough to survive in the extremely difficult market for luxury fashion. The rent at New York's top location on Madison Avenue was too high, and the competition from the Internet was too strong. The fact that even noble businesses are brought to their knees by the difficult market environment was also seen in Germany with the example of KaDeWe, which had to file for bankruptcy at the beginning of the year and was then saved by being taken over by the Thai Central Group.
At Barneys you don't even try to build a new business and stress yourself with things like warehouses, leases and logistics. You take the name and use it strategically. That could work. Of course, you can also buy merchandising products with the Barneys logo at the New York pop-up. Not underwear, but a baseball cap.
