This 2,000 square foot shop is the first east coast venture for Aether Apparel, a company known in the West for both its high-end performance outerwear and the lifestyle it embraces. This Soho outpost introduces Aether’s story to a new audience. The space is treated as a stage where the architectural elements and finishes are choreographed in changing configurations, providing fresh visions as seasons and products change. Images on the walls depict crisp mountains, yet the space connotes a backroom, like a workshop where items are being manufactured, as well as a back-room where the illicit might occur. Low-level illumination heightens the sense of an afterhours visit.
In this ambiance the 14-foot high log wall becomes a focal point. The wall experiments with an unconventional material form to create a finish in tune with the Aether narrative of the wild, exploration, and the outdoors. Each component of the project performs both functional and atmospheric roles –displaying products and providing allusions to other places and times. A truly Aethereal feeling.
