While fashion brands in the U.S. are working hard to reopen stores, they’ve been slower to move their employees back into offices. But, now that vaccinations are becoming widespread and business is happening IRL, some have made the decision to reinvest in office space.
Officine Générale, a French brand that just received a funding round for expanding in the U.S., is opening an office in New York this month. It plans to open 10 stores in the country over the next three years. Founder Pierre Mahéo, who is based in Paris, said that even though he typically visits New York around once a month, he and his team felt they couldn’t get a solid handle on the market without some sort of office space in the area.
“Having an office in another region is really important,” Mahéo said. “For European brands, if you want to sell in the U.S., you should recruit American people. There’s a culture that they understand, even if you visit the country all the time, that you won’t get unless you have a permanent presence there.”
