Pop-Ups: Here/Nau/NYC is Here, Now

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Last week we popped into brand new pop-up Here/Nau/NYC at 69 Mercer Street not really knowing what to expect—what we found was a pretty great collection of stylish but rugged layering pieces by a Portland-based Nau, along with some great vaguely outdoorsy/vaguely green pieces from crunchy hipster (crunchster?) mainstays Loomstate, Freitag, Malin & Goetz, Stewart & Brown, and Timberland Boot Company.

They're getting a lot of press for using found and recycled pieces to furnish the store—a smart and way of not creating any new trash when the shop closes up at the end of the year. Not without reason, the store looks great—spacious, clean, white-walled and filled with displays fashioned from cardboard, discarded pipes, paper, branches, and Polaroids; there is even a downstairs bar and event space for performances and parties that is both rugged and chic. But the wares are as notable as the decor.

Nau—designed by Patagonia alum Mark Galbraith—lives at that sort of difficult to pin down cross section of rugged/functional, green/sustainable, and stylish/wearable. Outerwear isn't too heavy—ideal for urban layering and lined with cozy fleeces—but manages to be both water- and wind-resistant, fashioned from partially recycled and/or green materials, and chock full of details commuters love like iPod pockets.

We liked dark yellow hooded rain slickers for $290 and sharp, asymmetrical jackets with trim collars and military details in varying lengths for both men and women (starting at around $265). Soft and simple ginghams and a variety of various stripey henleys in grays, mustards, and gray-purples were $120; and chalky gray five-pocket button fly trousers were $85. Angora cashmere sweaters came in a plethora of crunchster (we're going with it) colors named caviar, granite, and lichen—feathery and with multiple collar options, they go for $120. The cleverest pieces were a semi-waterproof asymmetrical windbreaker dress cum tunic with detachable sleeves called the Chrysalis; and light as air down puffy scarves with tiny zipper pockets (perfect for certain things lots of crunchsters carry about).

Check the website for the series of music events as well as the 60+ stores currently carrying the line.
· RackedWire: A Closer Look at Nau's Eco-Friendly Pop-Up [Racked]
· RackedWire: Two Pop-Ups [Racked]
· Here/Nau/NYC [Official Site]