![]() The first drop featured a $160 hoodie, $150 sweatpants and a $30 face mask. “So we made some and posted it and people were like, ‘Yo, I need that.’ So we made it for friends, and then their friends would be like, ‘Damn, I need that.’ It exponentially grew.” Today Erewhon has its own merch line, albeit small (for now). “It just stemmed from us going to Erewhon every day and being like, I wish they had merchandise,” Mr. Now released in limited quantities, which often sell out, the sweats have been seen on actors like Sophie Turner and Jonah Hill and young influencers like Kelsey Calemine and Zach Bia. Hwang, who run the digital marketing agency Pizzaslime together, sold them for $300 a pop. Nick Santiago and Matthew Hwang were such devoted Erewhon shoppers that a few years back they made sweatsuits emblazoned with the store’s name in block letters - meme as merch. And of course, each location has an outdoor eating area, perfect for loitering with a smoothie, which has become a windfall of sorts during the pandemic. He was inspired by four-star hotels and luxury clothing shops, and wanted extra-wide aisles to evoke an airy, open feeling. “If we don’t feel authentic to each community, we’re gonna fail.” (Even the playlists are curated by a local D.J.) It’s a world so immersive and considered that one could easily picture it becoming, say, a full-service restaurant, a spa or even a hotel, as Nobu and Equinox have.Įrewhon’s interiors focus on natural, raw materials (a nod to the raw, natural selection) and exposed food prep kitchens that communicates honesty. “We hire local talent for every store,” said Yuval Chiprut, Erewhon’s chief development officer. The store is still small enough to feel like a mom-and-pop shop, with each location carefully planned to match its specific neighborhood. Another husband-and-wife team, Tony and Josephine Antoci, acquired the store in 2011 and have been behind the recent expansion. While that initial East Coast location did not ultimately survive, a second California store did. The name came from Samuel Butler’s 1872 book “Erewhon,” about a health-minded utopia. Its founders, Michio and Aveline Kushi, sought to make macrobiotic food more readily available. Fake it ’til you make it.” A Sign of the TimesĮrewhon opened its doors in Boston in 1966. Widener asked in his Zenned-out, surfer-bro lilt. “Are there impostors out there who are eating healthy food because it’s cool?” Mr. ![]() Excess is out and moderation is in - at least outwardly so. Today, many young people eat organic stews, work out and meditate, posting their regimens to social media in hopes of going viral. ![]() In the early aughts, Hollywood stars partied all night and were photographed woozily leaving bars like Teddy’s and Hyde Lounge for magazines like Us Weekly.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |