Around 300 fashion enthusiasts waited in line for hours to be among the first to experience the grand opening of Telfar’s flagship store in New York City’s trendy SoHo neighborhood, The New York Post.
The line stretched down Broadway and into a nearby alley before the 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting.
The crowd came dressed to impress, excited over the rare chance to grab one of Telfar’s highly coveted bags, lovingly dubbed the “Bushwick Birkin.” For years, fans relied on sheer luck to score the bags online, where they often sold out within minutes, forcing many to turn to resale apps and other platforms to secure one.
A 14-year-old who arrived at 8 a.m. was the first in line, purchasing a bag and meeting Telfar Clemens.
Skai Karim, 20, a Fashion Institute of Technology student, was fifth in line to purchase a black shopper bag. She also met the “icon” and noted how much of a big deal the entire experience was “if you’re a big fan.”
“Why not experience the first time going to the grand opening of the first flagship store? That’s a memory to be created,” Karim said.
The new store, spanning 10,000 square feet, features a striking news desk at the entrance, racks of apparel suspended from the ceiling, and a stunning bag bar stretching the entire length of the space.
Customers had the chance to peruse every purse Telfar has ever produced, receiving “bag menus” or QR codes to scan and browse the purse selection to make their selection at the bar.
“It screams New York,” Karim said of the store’s layout. “It screams Telfar.”
Telfar expressed his pride in opening the store that comes after two decades of online drops and pop-up shops that fans and hungry resellers would mob.
“The store tells the whole story,” Clemens said of the store’s opening. “It’s not just bags—it’s a cultural phenomenon and it’s a total look—20 years in the making.”
“This is our flagship store in NYC—we want to spread that energy over the other 365 days of the year,” added Clemens. “That’s why the store is so central—you are never going to understand Telfar by walking into an existing store.”
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