Photo: Deirdre Schoo/The New York Times/Redux Friday marked another sad day for independent New York retail — and anyone with a foyer full of status clogs. Bird, the multi-brand retailer that defined the “bougie-boho” look of Brooklyn in the 2000s, announced that it was closing after 21 years in business.
Its signature items became the unofficial status symbols for the neighborhoods it occupied. It was Cobble Hill’s number-one supplier of No. 6 clogs, for example. It was the only place I could snag a Mansur Gavriel bag in 2014. And, until recently, it was where I would go to try on Jesse Kamm pants. Despite Bird’s price point, it felt less pretentious and more personal than its peers. It was truly a neighborhood institution, staffed by friendly locals that sold clothes for living in.
“I wanted the clothes to be in service to the women and the lives that they lead,” Mankins explained. Pieces were easy in the “sack dress” kind of way and practical for those who could afford a lifestyle of $390 clog boots, but they were never Eileen Fisher–type boring. Oftentimes, they were designed by women — Maria Cornejo, Ulla Johnson, and, of course, Rachel Comey, to name a few — a handful of whom also lived in Brooklyn.
Fashion, of course, changed too. The siren song of unflattering pants waned, and a wardrobe of colorful boiler suits and loose printed dresses seemed less radical — and, as a result, perhaps less worth shelling out for. Many customers, especially younger ones, didn’t necessarily want to spend $400 to $500 — or even $250 — on something that didn’t feel superspecial .
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.