Site Search

Get Luxury News by Email

Live the Good Life

Categories more

Sections

Other

Portuguese Luxury Brand Claus Porto Opens its First International Store in New York

Be the first to review this item!

#beauty #fragrance #luxury #ClausPorto
Published
11/06/2018 by

Claus Porto, the famed 131-year-old Portuguese beauty and fragrance house, is opening its first international store outside of Portugal in New York's Nolita neighborhood.  

Conceived by tacklebox architecture under the direction of Jeremy Barbour, the stores design pays homage to Portuguese architecture and craftsmanship with a unique, forty-two foot long freestanding archway that is milled completely out of Portugese cork.  This futurist tunnel,  with a carved surface of 1,500 faceted diamond "tiles," is a subtle reference to the curious facade of the Casa dos Bicos building in Lisbon, as well as Porto's historic São Bento train station with its vaulted interior, arched portals and decorative azulejo tile that line its arrival hall. Claus Porto's Flagship store is located in Porto, Portugal, with a second outpost in Lisbon, on Rua da Misericórdia.

Cork, a raw material indigenous to Portugal and the country responsible for roughly half of the world's production, is environmentally friendly, coming directly from the cork tree.  Its bark is harvested in a process that does not harm the tree in any way, but is a vital process to the tree's reinvigoration.

A monolithic washbasin sits at the heart of the space which is a nod to the baptismal font and a celebration of the ritual of daily cleansing. The basin was carved from the same large block of Estremoz marble that gave life to its sister piece in Porto's Flagship Store. Marble is a natural stone with Portuguese origins that's very representative of the country's traditions and craftsmanship.

Located on 230 Elizabeth Street with 550 square foot of retail space, the new Claus Porto store is nestled among the stylish boutiques and charming cafes and coffee shops that define this downtown Manhattan neighborhood.

When entering the store, customers are greeted by a framed diploma certifying that Claus Porto was awarded a gold medal at the 1904 Universal Exhibition in Saint Louis – the first of a series of hand-picked objects that make up the shop's historic gallery.

These antiques help tell the story of the brand and include elements related to Claus Porto's tradition as a fragrance house, the evolution of certain products and patterns and the brand's iconic Musgo Real men's collection.

Comments