The “Bushwick Birkin” has landed in Soho.
Telfar — a New York-based brand beloved by the likes of Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, Oprah and Bella Hadid — is opening its first-ever storefront downtown at Broadway and Canal Street on Saturday.
Crowned a cult must-have by the fashion set for two decades, the brand will debut its 10,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar equipped with a Telfar TV studio and a fully stocked “bag bar,” with a floor-to-ceiling display of every tote Telfar has ever produced — plus a coveted limited-edition purse.
The brand’s sporadic drops have caused pandemonium, but Clemens told The Post in an interview that opening the store is a “huge milestone.”
“The store tells the whole story,” he said. “It’s not just bags — it’s a cultural phenomenon and it’s a total look — 20 years in the making.”
With its embossed “T” logo, the faux leather bags were the hottest of 2023, selling out within minutes of each highly anticipated drop online.
But at the flagship, near which street vendors hawk fakes, customers can purchase the handbag, lovingly nicknamed the “Bushwick Birkin,” without the stress of their preferred color, size or style selling out before checkout.
Plus, a new limited-edition bag — reportedly a style that consumers have been demanding in recent years — is slated to be unveiled at the opening on Saturday, which Telfar noted is the “eve of our 20th anniversary.”
The brand’s “Rainbow” style debuted at a pop-up in 2022 and drew legions of eager fans, who spilled out onto the street, shutting down traffic, and exited the store with armfuls of “Shopping” totes.
This time around, the fashion label urged prospective patrons not to storm the storefront on opening day, and those who can’t miss the event will be required to RSVP for a specific time slot in order to enter. As of Friday, many of the “extremely limited” tickets for general admission were sold out.
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO COME TO THE OPENING,” Telfar posted on social media, where the label also warned that the wait just to get in will likely surpass two hours. “IT WILL BE OPEN FOREVER.”
“That was crazy. It was beautiful but this is different,” he told The Post. “This is our Flagship Store in NYC — we want to spread that energy over the other 365 days of the year.”
One moment that won’t be forever is a spectacle slated for Saturday. In the alley behind the store, Telfar will host a talent show of sorts, allowing fans an opportunity to put on a performance. Winners could cut the line and win a tote if liked by the throngs of people and the judges, composed of founder Telfar Clemens, his friends and undisclosed New York icons.
“It’s going to be a show for real,” he told The Post. “A celebration and open mic — and we have some wild surprises in store. We wanted to mark the day.”
At the bag bar — which creative director Babak Radboy described to Vogue Business as operating similarly to “how you get into a club” — every tote in every color will be available for purchase, regardless of online availability, and lucky shoppers will also be able to preview new launches before the bags debut online.
During events, the bag bar can process up to 4,000 orders in a single day — bandwidth that seems necessary given Telfar’s track record.
Devout loyalists of the brand — many of whom have taken to social media to express their excitement for the flagship — will likely want to be on line.
However, the store opening will be livestreamed as a celebration on the label’s 24-hour channel, Telfar.TV.
The element of community and collaboration is an intentional aspect of the interactive brick-and-mortar, which also features a space to hang out or shoot content and ‘fit checks, which can then be broadcast to the store’s LED displays.
But the real reason for a permanent Telfar storefront is to experience apparel IRL, rather than URL. Despite the brand operating as an online retailer and selling products through a drop model, Clemens wants to showcase all the label has to offer from head to toe.
When asked what has been the most exciting part, Telfar said it’s been doing the work.
“To be honest it’s the stuff behind the scenes,” he told The Post. “We have been building an atelier for the last three years so we can return to full 360 collections on our own terms — and do it 100% independently. That’s why the store is so central — you are never going to understand TELFAR by walking into an existing store.”
Produced in the brand’s 13,000-square-foot atelier, seasonal collections of garments and accessories will be available to shop as well. At the Soho flagship, customers can browse the label’s Wilsons Leather collaboration, the Telfar Denim collection, the Performance athletic wear capsule and its athleisure apparel.
And though the brand has skyrocketed in fame thanks to the internet, Telfar hopes his store fosters connection IRL.
“We are so excited to have that come together in one place,” he told The Post, “and have people put down their phones and feel something.”
