Garments shop ‘Bird’ closes completely

The Brooklyn-born apparel retailer, Chook, will shutter forever by the conclude of the month soon after far more than 20 several years, its operator introduced. 

“As with so numerous of our good friends and neighbors, the ongoing pandemic has established much too a lot to bear on top rated of an by now challenged, promptly switching sector, and globe,” Jen Mankins wrote on Instagram on Friday. “[I am] heartbroken to write-up this news right now. [Bird] has intended all the things to me and has been the core of my own and specialist existence for virtually two many years.”

The men’s and women’s clothes retailer — which experienced 4 places in Brooklyn and one particular in Los Angeles at its height — sold luxe-informal indie figures by designers this sort of as Rachel Comey and Dries Van Noten, and was identified for its interiors by Brooklyn architect Ole Sondresen.

Mankins, who worked as a customer at Barneys and Steven Alan in advance of using around the initially Bird shop, which opened in Park Slope in 1999, explained to the Company of Trend that mounting rents and direct-to-customer competitiveness, all worsened by the pandemic, made business enterprise not possible.

Bird’s Park Slope, Fort Greene, and Los Angeles places shuttered in 2020, and the Cobble Hill retail store closed past weekend. The Williamsburg and on-line retailers will shut down by the finish of the thirty day period.

Tributes arrived pouring in from clients and popular creatives subsequent Mankins’ announcement on Jan. 8.

“Bird was legendary. You really should experience so happy,” posted fashion icon and Barney’s window dresser, Simon Doonan on Instagram.

“Oh Jen so sad!! Chicken will be endlessly missed #legend 💔💔💔” said designer Ulla Johnson, who life in Fort Greene.

But not all hope is missing for Chicken. In her post and an e mail to customers Friday, Mankins remaining open up the likelihood Bird will return in some form or an additional “on the other aspect.”

“Pausing what Chicken has been for so extended is not a choice I manufactured easily nor a single that I choose flippantly,” she wrote. “I hope to be capable to use this crack to reimagine what significant part style and retail can have in today’s environment. I have not stopped believing in the ability and importance of expressing oneself by means of the act of getting dressed, and I hope to see you on the other facet of this with a new vision for Bird.”

This story to start with appeared on Brownstoner.com.