Just one month after presenting her Spring 2011 collection at New York Fashion Week, Designer Yeohlee Teng opened last night her flagship store in New York City. As the very first designer store to open in the Garment District, the YEOHLEE Store opening is a testament to Yeohlee’s commitment to the neighborhood. Over two hundred of her friends came out to lend their support – including Fern Mallis, Bobbi Queen, Nanette Lapore, Anna Sui, Valerie Steele, Joan Kaner, Ruth Finley among many others – and enjoy a selection of exotic Malaysian food and desserts.
Anna Sui & Yeohlee
In conjunction with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and the Design Trust for Public Space, Yeohlee is a leader in the Made in Midtown movement – a response to New York City’s proposed rezoning of the garment district, and a study of why the fashion industry and Garment District neighborhoods are an integral part of New York City’s economy and identity.
At the forefront of the movement, Yeohlee has advocated to keep fashion thriving in the Garment District – for the sake of jobs and in the name of social justice. Yeohlee believes that proximity and creativity are indelibly linked. For this same reason, Yeohlee made the decision to locate her first store in the district and moved her entire operation into the same building.
The Midtown store will feature key pieces from Yeohlee’s runway collections which she designs for the urban nomad – a term she first coined for her Fall 1997 collection –defining a lifestyle that requires clothing that works on a variety of practical and psychological levels. Yeohlee coined the term Zero Waste to capture the prevailing mood in September 2008 when she presented her Fall 2009 collection. She became the first designer to use zero waste in connection with how clothing can be constructed in a sustainable way by less wastage. Yeohlee’s seasonless clothes will be accompanied by select accessories from some of her favorite brands including recycled rubber jewelry by Kathleen Tucci and footwear by Bensimon.
Leonard Nimoy and Wife
The store is designed by Architect Joerg Schwartz with the intent to use the materials ubiquitous in the Garment Center in a fashion that had not been used before as a back-drop for Yeohlee’s clothing. Galvanized steel studs placed in front of the newly exposed brick wall evoke a space in transition. Another industrial material, black Tyvek, pleated in Midtown, is used to create drapery for the fitting rooms. Valspar paint was selected for its Hi Def color system – Dove White for the soft walls and ceilings, Tempered Gray for the brick wall to offset the galvanized steel studs and Highland Green as an accent on the signage. Yeohlee added a touch of whimsy by randomly replacing damaged grey floor tiles with granite black tiles. The final touch came with the restoration of the 1920’s façade – a first in the Garment District.
YEOHLEE NY :
Address: 25 West 38th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, New York, NY 10018
Phone 212 244 8635 Fax 212 244 6598
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 11 to 7pm.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Marie Dasaro
THINK PR
212.343.3920
Mdasaro@thinkpublicrelations.com
