The Tamesis
As the hot, sweaty night progresses into the late hours, folding chairs spread out on the sidewalk and make the bizarre climb five flights of stairs to the much-coveted rooftop soirée. Summer in New York is a far cry from the picturesque European beach clubs. And that’s what brands rely on.
Ahead of the summer rush, brands like Barcelona’s Gimaguas and London’s Fruity Booty are setting up shop across the pond, opening pop-ups in New York and Los Angeles. Next week, Cou Cou Intimates returns to New York for the second consecutive summer. Other brands have hopped on the American train, but pivoted from these two coastal favorites to less obvious but still buzzing American destinations, such as Australian sportswear brand CSB’s 25-day Miami pop-up. Even stateside brands are getting in on the act, changing coastlines to reach shoppers both east and west. Last weekend, Los Angeles brands Cleo Camp, Brooke Callahan and Lizzie Ames held a three-day “New York Spring” New York store in the Lower East Side. Rather than focusing on summer vacation, these brands focus on creating clothing for women that is suitable for everyday city life in the hot summer months.
“Our brand is really connected to the feeling of wanting to lift your mood, and summer is definitely at the core of our ethos,” says Gimaguas co-founder Claudia Durany. “Our clothes are lightweight and easy to wear in the city during the summer, but they’re also great for traveling and packing,” agrees co-founder (twin) Sayana Durany. “You can pack so many Gimaguas pieces into one carry-on suitcase, making them ideal for a relaxed urban summer lifestyle.”
It-girls from coast to coast certainly think so. In Los Angeles and New York, stars including Addison Rae, Amelia Gray, Emily Ratajkowski and Paloma Elsesser released a series of summer looks in Gimaguas dressing rooms, tagging the brand to let people know it comes from Spain. The girls were invited to deliver gifts, but they were also fans of the existing brand and purchased additional items, the founders said. “It all happens very organically. Most of the girls who come already know the brand, have shopped with us before, or wear Gimaguas naturally, so the pop-up becomes a more personal and fun way to experience it,” says Claudia. Things are going well—the brand’s Los Angeles pop-up is up 90 percent from last year, and its New York pop-up is open until June 21—but the numbers are looking “fantastic,” Sayana said.
