The first Barneys department store opened its doors in 1923 in downtown New York. Chelsea, to be exact, on 7th Avenue and 16th Street. Renowned for its Andrée Putnam-designed spiral staircase and its rows upon rows of designer shoes and accessories, the store eventually expanded to the entire city block, making it one of the largest department stores in the country.
But as time moved on, so too did Barneys, and in 1993, the store moved up to its current flagship location on Madison Avenue between 60th and 61st Streets, eventually leading to the demise of the original Chelsea location 4 years later. A demise that many thought of as not just part of another New York neighborhood landmark, but part of its soul as well.
Flash forward almost twenty years later and the original Barneys location has made a triumphant return to its original Chelsea outpost. And while the new location isn’t quite the same (it’s not as large and doesn’t extend all the way up to 17th Street), it’s still a much welcomed return of an iconic New York storefront to its original neighborhood roots in a time when many other big name, independent New York neighborhood staples (F.A.O. Schwarz, Roseland Ballroom, etc.) have been forced to close up shop.
And to celebrate the opening, Barneys went back in time to revive yet another famous Barneys piece of history—the 1986 Barneys New York Decorated Denim event, where artists like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, along with designers like Yves Saint Laurent, created their own customized denim to be sold at auction in an effort to raise money for AIDS research.
Working with Christie’s auction house, Barneys recently commissioned select artists and designers to customize black leather motorcycle jackets for The Black Leather Jacket Auction. The jackets were then sold at auction to benefit two New York City non-profit institutions—The LGBT Community Center and White Columns, New York City’s oldest non-profit art space that specializes in emerging artists and designers.
A total of 23 unique leather jackets were created by artists and designers like Helmut Lang, Alexander Wang, Sterling Ruby, Ugo Rondinone, Dan Cohen, and Dries Van Noten, just to name a few.
“We basically told them that they had complete freedom to do whatever they felt worked best to create a unique jacket,” said Barneys creative director Dennis Freedman. “And I think what’s most impressive is the commitment that these artists made to making serious work. When we got the jackets, we were overwhelmed by how seriously these artists approached this project.”
Indeed, you don’t have to be high to appreciate the elaborate designs and details that went into the makings of each leather piece. And if you were one of the lucky few to snag one at auction, you can appreciate the fact that not only did you have a hand in helping a good cause, but a hand—rather, two arms and a torso—inside a gorgeous and eclectic piece of fine wearable art.
