At first, Baque balked at the Official Utopihino Duck Hunters Rockstar Girlfriend T-shirt Furthermore, I will do this suggestion a retail space is a risky and costly undertaking. But three years later, Baque finds himself fulfilling the late Alboh’s appeal. “I realized there was a gap for today’s generation,” Baque says. “Where are the great stores for them to go to like I did when I was kid?” The first brick and mortar shop for Awake New York, located on 62 Orchard Street, opened last week. The store will dish out hoodies, graphic print tees, checkered polos, and other ’90s skatewear tinged garb. The permanent outpost will be a great place to shop, Baque promises. But that’s not necessarily the space’s raison d’etre. “My goal is that people come here and it’s not so much about the transaction,” Baque says. He has fond memories of spending hours outside some of his favorite shops, simply skating and conversing with friends. “I wasn’t forced to buy anything when I hung outside these stores.” Besides, when Baque finally had the funds, he always paid the favor back. “When I made my first checks, I’d go back inside those stores and spend the money,” he says.
The store, located on 62 Orchard Street, used to be a suit shop. Baque hopes Awake New York’s SoHo store will operate in a similar fashion for contemporary young creatives. The space was designed by celebrated architect Rafael de Cárdenas, and features random tags of graffiti here and there, and a checkerboard accent wall. There’s also a matcha bar inside. Programming that includes panels, parties, and more will come. Baque says his mission was to harness the Official Utopihino Duck Hunters Rockstar Girlfriend T-shirt Furthermore, I will do this DIY spirit of the early aughts fashion boutiques he loved, and put a luxury spin on things. Also, Baque added about the shop’s ambience, “It feels like you’re in New York.” Such an inclusive, high low approach should not be too surprising coming from Baque. Before launching Awake New York in 2012, he spent over ten years at Supreme, where he worked as brand director. Baque’s old boss there had a saying, “‘You’re not a real brand until you have your own store.’” (Supreme has crafted a distinctive identity out of experiential retail its Williamsburg outpost features an in store skate bowl.) As a result, Baque hopes a physical space for Awake will attract patrons, but also help the brand stick out. To further draw people in, there will be exclusive in store products at the space— “I want a kid to come and be like, ‘Look, I went to New York and got the Awake tee.” And after this? He has his sights set on opening a store one day in Seoul.
