STORM RITTER STUDIO
2015 - 2019
RETAIL STOREFRONT
14 West 8th Street, Greenwich Village, NYC
In 2015, Storm truly aligned with the heartbeat of the Village and launched her first business. She opened the two-story, brick-and-mortar storefront, Storm Ritter Studio, at 14 West 8th Street. Originally the store was named, Graey Studio, but quickly re-named with the artist's authentic branding. Downstairs was the retail storefront and upstairs, a working production studio for fashion and artwork. With staff and interns, the storefront was known for it's vintage shopping experience and eccentric fashion style. Storm painted constantly to produce new textile designs and covered the walls with murals ceiling to floor. Seasonally, she would repaint and curate the spaces to accommodate the changing collections. A hub for creatives, Storm Ritter Studio provided a location to find unique fashion and inspiration in the historic West Village.
Inside Retail Storefront
Storm Ritter Studio, 2016-19
ABOUT THE STOREFRONT
Storm Ritter Studio featured original textile apparel, painted fashion, artwork, and curated vintage. The fashion collections were one-of-a-kind, created on-location, and completely cohesive with the fine art in the showroom.
Upstairs: Production Studio
The private studio on the second floor gave the artist and staff space for manufacture, painting, and inventory storage. Before the shop was opened, Storm designed textiles and garment patterns in bulk, all manufactured locally. Yards of textiles were digitally printed, based on her paintings and illustrations. Once the location launched, all garments were handmade upstairs with head seamstress, Jenny Lin. The artist continued to design for collection releases on a monthly basis. Painted fashion was another popular product, producing wearable art with original pieces, vintage, and on client's custom orders. Not only providing accessible street style, the studio provided pieces for stylists, stagewear, wardrobe departments, and theatrical costumes.
Downstairs: Retail Shop
With sales staff and interns, the showroom floor constantly evolved with new designs and murals added by the artist. Photoshoots and personal customer shopping experiences were a commonplace, creating a truly eclectic and fun destination shop for locals and tourists.
ABOUT THE RETAIL
The vibrant environment invited visitors into an immersive work, always changing to keep customers returning for a new experience. The downstairs housed launch parties, sale events, music performances, live painting, and scheduled photo/film shoots. The artist and staff wore the original garments constantly, shooting Polaroids of shoppers as they styled original apparel. With Storm always present both upstairs and downstairs, it was common for clients to become friends and collectors of the work. The store was known for creativity and celebration, becoming a sage haven for all.
Scroll The Retail Archive
Storm Ritter Studio, 2016-19