NEW YORK EVENT, February 8th 2012
WHAT: Plastic is about to get fantastic in New York. Melissa is opening its first international flagship in SoHo. Melissa Gallery, located at 102 Greene Street, is the label’s first ever boutique outside of Brazil on February 8th in New York City.
Galeria Melissa will open with an installation by Brazilian artist Eli Sudbrack and his psychedelically inclined collective Assume Vivid Astro Focus, which he runs with French-born Christophe Hamaide-Pierson. Fresh off designing Lady Gaga’s Workshop at Barneys New York, the artistic duo has created a hyper-colorful animated video that will be projected in the store as well as a limited edition capsule collection of Melissa products.
Guests included
Alessandra Ambrosio
Anja Rubik
Beth Ditto
Daphne Guinness
Dita Von Teese
Elettra Rosselini-Weidemann
Eli Sudbrack
Jason Wu
Marc Jacobs
Karim Rashid
Vanessa Hudgens
Amanda Setton
Whitney Port
Harley Viera Newton - DJ
Since it was founded over thirty years ago in Rio Grande do Sul, Melissa has broken ground with its innovative creative collaborations, from Zaha Hadid and Jason Wu in recent years and Thierry Mugler in the early days. Staying true to Melissa’s driving ethos of celebrating art and design, the New York store, like its Sao Paulo flagship, also serves as an exhibition space.
Creative director Edson Matsuo worked closely with architects Domingos Pacascali and Moema Wertheimer on the concept and design. Their idea was to offer a contrast to the bustle of New York’s city streets. “The path that we followed was of the ‘urban cave,’” says Matsuo. “A space that would give you the feeling of shelter, mystery and adventure.” The interior is intended to be a blank canvas for product, and to be re-imagined by a cast of guest artists, designers and architects. “The project’s strength is not being the star of the show,” says Matsuo. Whereas the Sao Paulo flagship’s exterior functions as its gallery wall, the SoHo store has anunassuming façade, which opens up to revealan ever-changingwonderland inside.
Galeria Melissa will open with an installation by Brazilian artist Eli Sudbrack and his psychedelically inclined collective Assume Vivid Astro Focus, which he runs with French-born Christophe Hamaide-Pierson. Fresh off designing Lady Gaga’s Workshop at Barneys New York, the artistic duo has created a hyper-colorful animated video that will be projected in the store as well as a limited edition capsule collection of Melissa products. Sudbrack creates exclusive store front for Galeria Melissa NY. The project, which is the artists second project with Melissa, is inspired by the theme of the Spring/Summer 2012 collection 'POWER OF LOVE'. The Galeria features psychedlic dashes and vibrant colours which translate Sudrack's irreverent and very creative point of view.
