5 posts tagged "Ryan Korban"
Jumping for Joie
On a much-buzzed-about corridor of Melrose Avenue, where labels like Marc by Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg and Helmut Lang have all opened boutiques, a retail resurgence has begun. This Tuesday, Joie’s L.A. flagship joins the fray. The label is undertaking a major rollout—in addition to L.A., a Soho shop has just opened in New York, with a Meatpacking District branch and a San Francisco outpost on the way. Still, says creative director Serge Azria, “each store embodies the true feel of the brand: effortlessly chic yet casual.” Who do you call for that? Ryan Korban, the designer whose credits include Alexander Wang’s store and showroom and New York’s Edon Manor. Korban’s vision translated into a Parisian apartment that’s been sun-kissed by SoCal—an apartment, that is, that’s 1,640 square feet large, with herringbone floors and washed gray moldings. “L.A. has always been a big part of the Joie environment—even before we opened on the West Coast,” Korban explained. “Because it is such a large part of the brand, it has always come through in the design, even when we were doing New York stores.” Although New Yorkers are famously wary of all things L.A, we haven’t heard any complaints.
Joie is now open at 8414 Melrose Ave., L.A., (323) 330-1255.
Diesel Black Gold Moves Into Soho
“It’s very Diesel, but a lot sleeker,” says interior decorator extraordinaire Ryan Korban of the new Diesel Black Gold store he’s designed with Renzo Rosso, which is set to be unveiled tonight with a private party following the brand’s runway show this afternoon. “I wanted to take a lot of elements from a luxury store but edit it down so it still feels airy, young, and open. It was very important to the Diesel team that it still feel young and not stuffy.”
And the results of Korban’s work are just that—the Greene Street “contemporary showcase boutique” (the brand’s first), part of several new initiatives the brand is rolling out as it refocuses its attention on womenswear, is sleeker and more open than most of Diesel’s “vintage-y” shops. The look is more grown-up, just like the latest Diesel Black Gold pre-fall collection, thanks to Korban’s use of more premium materials and a luxe black, taupe, and brown color palette. Key design elements of the shop (under 3,000 square feet) include the matte black floors, wall-to-wall gray carpeting, and taupe and brown suede walls.
“The normal Diesel experience is very high-energy, but this gives you a chance to really experience each shoe and each piece of clothing,” says Korban. Here, Style.com has an exclusive first look inside the shop.
Diesel Black Gold, 68 Greene St., NYC.
A Home Away From Home For Alexander Wang—Not To Mention His Many Fans
Yesterday couldn’t have been more ideal for Alexander Wang to introduce his first flagship store to the world. With a bright and clear weather report, a rather heavenly sunlight streamed through the massive windows into the 3,500-square-foot space, and it was warm enough for a few fans to gather on Grand Street and gawk as the designer chatted with journalists.
Wang was, of course, inspired by the airy nature of the Yohji Yamamato store that previously occupied the space, and he had a couple other favorites to inspire him as well. “I respond to a store like Barneys where it’s very breathy and you have these sophisticated installations, but there’s still humor,” he said. “And the old Helmut Lang store on Greene Street was pretty iconic to me. I just loved the gallery feel of it.”
In fact, like Lang’s store, the front area here, which has a ceiling-high black metal cage and marble display cubes, is reserved for installations, exclusives, and special collabs. Currently the cage is covered in baby’s breath (yes, baby’s breath, get into it), the so-wrong-it’s-right idea of florist Jeff Leatham, who worked with Wang for the opening. Inside is the Betony Vernon jewelry that came down the runway a few days ago.
Designed by architect Robin Kramer, the chilly white marble interior is warmed up by touches of glowy antique brass, inlaid in those marble cubes and long tables. And there’s an inviting carpeted square of relaxation in the center, dominated by the by-now world- (or at least blog-) famous black fox fur hammock. (The black leather lawn chair there might not be as sexy, but it’s also quite cool.) “I knew I wanted it to feel like our living room, just a place where people can hang out,” said Wang. “I don’t want it to be such a strict retail environment. I want people to feel like they’re coming to my apartment to shop.” In a way, they are, since decorator Ryan Korban is the aesthetic force behind the store as well as Wang’s home and showroom. And in that vein, Wang also personally chose the playlist for the first week, a mix of the Pharcyde, vintage Dr. Dre, Dru Hill, and Die Antwoord.
With all of his lines and accessories on display, including a capsule of five black leather pieces made expressly for the opening, consider it a full immersion in Wang world. As for those fans, since Wang’s studio and apartment are both minutes away, and his brother lives right upstairs, they can expect to see him there pretty frequently.
Alexander Wang is now open at 103 Grand St., NYC.
From Paris To The White House?
Guilty Brotherhood is not kidding around. The brand, which was founded in Paris two years ago, recently moved its headquarters to a West Village townhouse ahead of its Spring ’10 launch in the United States, and designer Kevork Kiledjian and creative director Fanny Bourdette-Donon have recruited an A-list team to help assure that Guilty Brotherhood makes a splash. It interior designer Ryan Korban is spiffing up the townhouse, for example, and last week, photographer Greg Kadel, stylist Edward Enninful, and model Abbey Lee gathered in Los Angeles to shoot the Spring campaign. Back in Paris, meanwhile, a first show for the brand is tentatively planned for October 2010, and Jean Nouvel is designing the multi-story flagship, which is scheduled to open in 2011. Long story short, expect to be hearing plenty about Guilty Brotherhood in the new year—and seeing plenty of stars amping up their sex appeal in the line’s unapologetically va-va-voom designs. (Lookers such as Kate Moss and Doutzen Kroes are already fans.) Given that Ikram was one of the first stateside retailers to pick up Guilty Brotherhood, perhaps the First Lady will be bringing sexy back to the White House, too? Perhaps not, but there’s no harm in hoping.
Alexander Wang Has Him On Speed Dial
“Downsizing” has become a common refrain over the past year. Companies are downsizing their staffs. Consumers are downsizing their budgets for the nicer things in life—vacations, nights out, clothes. It’s not all bad, though. The bummer economy has made more than a few people think petite when it comes to space. McMansions are out; walk-ups and bungalows are in. Before you go turning up your nose at the idea of cramped quarters, recall that they’re better for the environment as well as one’s own bottom line, and long-term demographic and economic trends portend the rise, again, of city living. If you think New York is crowded now, just wait. And while you’re waiting, you might as well take a number for the services of Ryan Korban. Over the past two years, interior designer Korban has made a specialty of bringing big-time panache to modest one-bedrooms and live/work spaces; his first client was the jewel box Tribeca shop Edon Manor, which he co-owns and creative-directs. Since then, he’s picked up work from the likes of actor James Franco and designer Alexander Wang, whose offices Korban is currently revamping. Here, Korban talks to Style.com about the power of youth, the beauty of thinking small, and the importance of “the mix.”
How did you get interested in design?
I don’t know exactly—the interest was always there, it was just a matter of figuring out where I wanted to take it. I like fashion, I like art; both those things seemed like possibilities for me, and then at some point I realized that what I really like to do is create environments. And around the same time that I figured that out, my friend Davinia [Wang] asked me to help her open this store—Edon Manor. So that wound up being my first project.
So you never officially “trained”?
My training has either been, you know, self-directed in idiosyncratic ways, or on the job, which I actually feel is the best education. I learned more about lighting from the contractors we brought in to do the installation at Edon Manor than I ever could have reading a book. But in general, everything in my career so far has played out kind of backwards—most designers right out of school, they work under someone for a while, then eventually they get their first residential project, and then at some point down the line the opportunity comes along to do a commercial space. I was doubly lucky in that not only did Edon Manor give me a commercial platform right off the bat, but because that space has such a residential feel, I picked up work in people’s homes almost immediately after we opened.