Grupo Gitano Opens NYC Outdoor Retail Concept, Souk Gitano
A marketplace with an all-gender and season-free in-house collection and more
A new retail concept opens within Grupo Gitano‘s NYC hospitality oasis, Gitano Garden of Love, joining the bustling outdoor bar and restaurant. Known as Souk Gitano, the shop debuts with its own season-free, all-gender in-house collection of cotton and linen items, along with silk robes and leather handbags. These pieces, overseen by British GQ fashion director Luke Day, stand alongside a selection of brands originating in Tulum (where Grupo Gitano launched), CDMX and Guadalajara. They’re an exciting addition to the dynamic outdoor space.
“When I first designed the layout of the whole property, when I was presented with this 24,000-square-foot parking lot,” Grupo Gitano founder and CEO, James Gardner, tells us while touring the verdant site, “The first thing I saw, having worked with so many fashion brands and friends in fashion, was this place for a runaway—so I designed a runway down the center of it all. Everything fits around that. Then there’s the main tent in the center—and on either side, there’s the cafe and now the store.”
From the beginning, Gardner intended to have a retail spot, “but now is the first time that we’ve activated it,” he says, adding that “the reason we’ve taken longer to open this is that people were so drawn to the brand that we wanted to do it the right way. We wanted to do something that honored the items that we intended to sell.” Gardner points out the design that supports their wares—an old trunk from upstate, rugs from Turkey.
And then there are the brand’s decor and accessories. “We designed and made these bamboo chairs in Tulum; they’re in our beach club there,” he says. “Even the pergola, we have one in Tulum as well. We worked with artisans all across the Yucatán to make these.” When Gitano Garden of Love first opened its doors, visitors felt transported out of the city—far away from a corner alongside Canal Street. This latest addition integrates well, and it lets guests take a bit of the venue’s spirit home with them.
Images courtesy of BFA
