With consumer spending on apparel increasing online, Internet giant Amazon muscling its way into the fashion arena, and unmotivated Millennials and Baby Boomers moving fashion lower on their list of priorities, it would seem to be an inauspicious time to open a new flagship. Not for Elizabeth Solomeina and Daniel Silverstain.

The Store (It Would Seem) Is Not Dead (At Least For Now)

Amazon isn’t going anywhere, so shops that would rather not shut down are adapting, resulting in a somewhat surprising retail renaissance.

Flying solo is a retail space located at 434 West Broadway in SoHo with a collaborative approach. We spoke with Co-founder Elizabeth Solomeina about the space and how the concept store came about. Solomeina shared her story as a designer trying to find stockists for her jewelry brand and realized the void in the market for young designers to gain platforms and the story of Flying Solo begun.

20th of December, 2019, New York City – While other traditional Retail Chains Such As Barneys And Henri Bendel are closing their doors, new retail model — Flying Solo Is Expanding Rapidly!

Flying Solo is a unique concept retail store owned by a selection of independent designers. The brand launched in 2016 in New York City, offering a one-of-a-kind opportunity for customers to interact directly with designers. The designers operate the store themselves, making Flying Solo a distinctive brand that aims to create a new connection between designers and customers.

As the old-fashioned brick-and-mortar retail model continues to struggle and legendary stores like Barneys filed for bankruptcy last year, new retail models that combine membership and the sharing economy, like Flying Solo, where brands pay a flat membership fee and maintain all the profits from retail sales, have become more prevalent in fashion and retail. Flying Solo has had a slow and steady rise to notoriety, being consistently featured in magazines and publications such as Vogue, Elle, and The NYTimes while attracting celebrities like Cardi B and Gigi Hadid.

A few years ago, Elizabeth ­Solomeina, owner of fine jewelry brand Solomeina, decided she would stop wishing for a New York City retail partner that let independent designers connect directly with their consumers—she would create such a store herself. The designer joined forces (and pooled financial resources) with nearly three dozen other locally based fashion, accessory, and ­jewelry designers to open Flying Solo, a marketplace that carries and promotes independent luxury designers. 

Following a direct-to-consumer model instead of relying on wholesale accounts has become the norm among young, emerging brands. This type of business is primarily achieved online through e-commerce, but Flying Solo in New York City aims to connect with shoppers face to face from a storefront in Nolita. Founded by jewelry designer Elizabeth Solomeina, Flying Solo is a DIY fashion collective made up of 45 independent and local designers who have joined forces to afford a 2,000-square-foot space on Mulberry Street. "We want to sell to customers but we have no place to do so. With this concept, we basically cut out the middleman," says Solomeina. "Here, we can present our whole vision."

For an independent designer operating in a world of megabrands like Amazon, Zara, Nike and H&M, an old maxim may hold the key to survival: United we are stronger.At least that was the thinking Elizabeth Solomeina applied when she was struggling to find a way to show and sell the jewelry she designs without spending huge amounts of money on rent or outsourcing her work to various boutiques.

While bigger players such as Macy’s Inc. are showing signs of strain — the retailer this week announced it will close 28 stores — and Barneys New York is in the throes of liquidation sales, independent downtown retailer Flying Solo is soaring with a new 8,000-square-foot store at 382 West Broadway.

As the old-fashioned brick-and-mortar retail model continues to struggle and legendary stores like Barneys filed for bankruptcy last year, new retail models that combine membership and the sharing economy, like Flying Solo, where brands pay a flat membership fee and maintain all the profits from retail sales, have become more prevalent in fashion and retail. Flying Solo has had a slow and steady rise to notoriety, being consistently featured in magazines and publications such as Vogue, Elle, and The NYTimes while attracting celebrities like Cardi B and Gigi Hadid.