The appeal of New York’s downtown is reflected in the Etro Boutique in Soho, inaugurated in February 2011. The late Nineteenth-century building is the perfect container for the premises, covering over 400 square metres and featuring high ceilings in tin, raised lighting of a typically industrial feel, bare brick walls and large windows. All of which make the perfect background for enhancing the collections. The eye is immediately drawn to the lively Men’s collection which occupies the main floor, whilst as we climb the hand painted steel spiral staircase we allow ourselves to be caught up in the stunning Women’s and Accessory collections. Each collection is displayed on fixed installations featuring a grey background, whilst the precious nature of the accessories is underscored inside glass cabinets. The design of this shop-loft is unique and constitutes a new concept for Etro: the design reflects the surrounding urban context, whilst still maintaining the original details of the structure and remembering Italian tradition. The brick walls are interspersed with  inserts produced in Italy. By the same token, the floors are made entirely using classic Santafiora stone. With this new opening, the second in New York city after the one in Madison Avenue inaugurated in 1996, Etro now has five stores in the United States.