On Wednesday afternoon, Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz officially opened the doors of her first New York flagship at 799 Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side.
The tropical retail oasis: a four-story, 3,422-square-foot building that now houses the brand's New York headquarters, a logistics and warehouse hall, and two floors of retail featuring the designer's seasonal collections, clothing lines bath and resort items, household items and specialty items. exclusive New York dresses and styles, was designed to transport shoppers and give them the full Johanna Ortiz experience.
The stunning space features the brand's signature palm tree motifs as multiple large-scale installations, designed by Colombian artisans; Handcrafted furniture and decor from Latin American art commissioned and sourced, hand-selected by Ortiz. There's even a sun-drenched VIP changing room inspired by Iris Apfel's red living room, designed with custom printed jacquard from homes along the Pacific Ocean in Colombia, covering floor to ceiling.
Ortiz's resort collection, which launched the same day her retail store opened, was designed with this expansion in mind.
The new knitwear and leather pieces were a direct nod to New York's new customers who, come winter, might want to pair their thicker brushed cashmere sweaters with a buttery leather A-line skirt with hand-braided details , For example. There was also a stellar navy knit set with knotted crochet inserts.
The designer took advantage of the current Western trend in which, honestly, she has been dabbling for years with silk and cotton trim blouses; cowboy boots and wide leather belts, while a chocolate suede macramé ensemble with a knotted neckline adorned with tassels also blended with her “sailboats and ruffles” nautical inspiration.
“We tried to interpret the feeling of being by the water and the ocean. [in Colombia] and be colorful, while doing a different version of my western, with nautical stuff,” he said.
Nautical knots were a recurring motif, as seen in prints of hand-knotted palm trees on simple linen dresses; within eyelet crochet numbers, or as dramatic hand-knotted tassels and asymmetrical straps adorning special occasion dresses and a great black pima cotton knit cropped dress.
She completed the ensemble with flattering botanical dresses, such as a flowing large-scale palm print in green and white with colorful bell sleeves, long silk dresses with contrast printed panels and trims, and a host of elegant pieces ranging from monochromatic silk dresses ruffled drapes. from trains to black and white maxis and minis adorned with handmade beaded and sequin embellishments.
Shown in the new store, the collection felt at home in New York, balancing its Colombian artisanal signatures with a thoughtful expansion of streetwear, with a broad, festive and joyful style.
