With its forward-thinking design and experiential attitude, Fulton Market District newcomer SVRN is disrupting the Chicago streetwear scene like no other.
SVRN
Retail is in David Kim’s blood—his family has owned apparel and sneaker stores since the ’70s—and with his latest luxury fashion passion project, SVRN, the 32-year-old Loop resident is carving out his own lane of cool. Offering a fresh take on streetwear, the boutique scores with racks of key designers like Gucci, Rick Owens and Alexander Wang curated with a hyped mix of cult brands and up-and-comers such as Ksubi, Siberia Hills and Rich and Sporty (for which SVRN is the first U.S. stockist). It’s an impressive lineup, but what sets SVRN even further apart is the buzzworthy bones of its urbanchic space, which teems with brick, ductwork and concrete flooring elements.
“We wanted to embrace the industrial history of the Fulton Market District and show that there’s immense beauty in the mundane,” Kim explains of his collab with local firm DXU. Kim also delved into unexpected wabi-sabi interior details inspired by his travels to Tokyo, working with Bednark Studio to bring to life dazzling accents, ranging from glass plinths to kintsugi-esque broken mirrors reassembled with gold lacquer. “The mirrors are intentionally shattered as a reminder to us to embrace our flaws,” he notes.
Neon installations throw new light on the idea of experiential retail.
Focused on creating an immersive shopping experience, the store has a dedicated space exclusively for pop-ups and collaborations and has hosted vintage T-shirt guru Patrick Matamoros with Saint Luis, Jordan and Nike in its opening months. Add to that the much-anticipated drop of the boutique’s own streetwear line this fall, and it’s a safe bet that SVRN is set to be a game changer for the future of fashion retail in the city. 171 N. Aberdeen St., Ste. 103
Photography by: PHOTOS BY DENNIS ELLIOTT/@DDESIGNS_
