Proenza Schouler Brings Downtown Downtown

ABOVE: DOWNSTAIRS AT PROENZA SCHOULER IN SOHO.

“We are really interested in the surface more than anything,” Lazaro Hernandez told us in 2011. “That’s what feels relevant to us —like developing textiles, the two-dimensional aspect of things.” Two  years later, and the duo’s obsession with textiles hasn’t changed a bit: Last weekend, Proenza opened its second New York store, decorated with three different types of marble tile: Bardiglio, Lilac, and Kenya Black. Their new shop is located down the road from Interview in SoHo.

It was the only location Hernandez and his design partner Jack McCollough considered. “Our design studio is right in the middle of SoHo,” the designers tell us. “So we have been in a position to really live in this evolving landscape; to see how many people roam the streets especially on weekends. We’ve seen it become a central location for out-of-towners to explore shops, restaurants, galleries—in essence, New York.” After a decade in the industry, McCollough and Hernandez explain that they “wanted a chance to be part of this conversation, of this evolution of yet another New York neighborhood, but to do so with great respect for what has been there before.” Welcome to the neighborhood, kids.

PROENZA SCHOULER WILL OPEN THIS WEEKEND AT 121 GREENE STREET.