In the Studio With 3.1 Phillip Lim

Given how many hours designer Phillip Lim logs in his studio, it’s a natural fit that for his new flagship store, now open at 48 Great Jones Street, he designed an extension of his creative space, bridging the gap between where his clothes are conceptualized and where they’re sold.

Lim curated an architectural mix—polished concrete floors, marble tiles, stone steps, and mixed-material plinths—with vintage furniture and canvases, evoking the humble qualities of the artist’s studio with a pragmatic modern luxury.

“It’s neutral space that allows for evolution. I think there is something really special about that,” Lim says.  “I wanted to evoke the notion that if we were to remove all the product and display from the store—it would be a great clean slate to be able to work in. It has natural light and high ceilings so there is room to breathe. I am lucky to have skylights in my studio, so the store space feels it has the same lightness.”

Over a three-month period during the construction process, photographer Bill Jacobson, known for his out-of-focus images of landscapes and figures, visited the store. The resulting images—part documentation, part interpretation—are collected in a new limited edition book, co-edited by Lim and Jacobson, and sold exclusively at the flagship store.

3.1 PHILLIP LIM’S NEW FLAGSHIP STORE IS NOW OPEN, AT 48 GREAT JONES STREET.