Story / Bayr Ubushi
Pictures / Courtesy of Flying Solo
Lately, the retail business has confronted wave after wave of disruption—from the pandemic-driven shutdowns of bodily shops to the most recent spherical of tariffs threatening to make operations much more difficult. Whereas main retailers could have the cushion to outlive, small rising manufacturers typically wrestle to search out their place on this fiercely aggressive market.
9 years in the past, a gaggle of six impartial designers got here collectively to problem the standard retail mannequin. As a substitute of competing towards one another, they selected to collaborate—and thus, Flying Solo was born. What began as a modest boutique on Mulberry Road in New York has since advanced into a robust retail platform and thriving inventive group. At present, Flying Solo represents over 200 designers throughout its flagship shops in New York and Paris, providing a daring and inclusive area for impartial expertise.
“After we first stepped into the area, it was simply an empty concrete field,” remembers Elizabeth Solomeina, one among Flying Solo’s co-founders. “We had no price range to rent contractors, so we needed to be taught all the things ourselves—from fundamental electrical work to constructing clothes racks out of metallic pipes. Portray the partitions was in all probability the simplest activity.” However this spirit of collaboration made the inconceivable potential. One designer introduced chairs from house, one other sourced tables, and collectively, they reworked the area. In July 2016, the primary Flying Solo boutique formally opened its doorways in SoHo—at a time when actual property costs within the space have been skyrocketing.
The idea proved so profitable that inside a yr, the collective outgrew its unique area and opened a bigger flagship location on West Broadway, taking up a former Roberto Cavalli retailer. That very same yr, Flying Solo made its debut on the New York Style Week runway, injecting a contemporary and disruptive vitality right into a scene historically dominated by giants like Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren.
At first, few took the brand new collective severely. “The style world will be harsh and dismissive,” mentioned one co-founder. “However over time, folks started to acknowledge that Flying Solo was turning into an actual pressure.” 9 years later, the collective boasts over 40 runway reveals throughout New York, Paris, Milan, and Miami. Regardless of the challenges of the pandemic, Flying Solo not solely survived—it thrived, opening a second retailer in New York at a time when legacy retailers like Barneys filed for chapter and Century 21 shuttered.
In 2025, as shopper spending slows amid financial uncertainty, Flying Solo stays forward-looking. The staff stays engaged with its viewers by dynamic social media content material and by spotlighting new abilities in trend. In a digital age the place all the things feels accessible, Flying Solo prospects are searching for one thing extra—individuality, self-expression, and creativity. The curated collections in-store assist them stand out from the group.
As we mentioned earlier, Flying Solo is greater than only a retail platform—it’s a group of trend creatives in NYC. Every month, the staff hosts unique occasions for business professionals together with fashions, photographers, designers, and extra. Each gathering is a celebration of trend, model, and above all—friendship. These are the values on the coronary heart of Flying Solo.
No two occasions are the identical. One is likely to be a classy vacation dinner, one other an intimate rooftop gathering at one among New York’s hottest venues, or perhaps a cozy potluck dinner for native stylists. Flying Solo continues to shock and delight with every new expertise.
A lot of this success will be credited to the model’s in-house PR division, launched a yr after the primary retailer opened on Mulberry Road. Initially situated within the boutique’s copper-toned basement—affectionately dubbed The Copper Room—this area later impressed the identify of Flying Solo’s very personal PR company.
Launching the company wasn’t straightforward. Not everybody understood its significance on the time. However years later, The Copper Room has produced a whole lot of editorial shoots, journal covers, interviews, and extra—incomes a repute as one among New York’s prime trend PR businesses.
Flying Solo has develop into a robust instance of how friendship, collaboration, and group can construct a profitable enterprise—even throughout probably the most difficult instances for retail. It’s not only a retailer. It’s a motion—and it’s solely getting began.
