Latest news with #Soho
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Crocs' New ‘Icon' Store Eyes Experiential Retail
Crocs Inc. wants consumers to have fun with the brand. To that end, the company opened a new 4,000-sq.-ft. 'Icon' store in New York's Soho neighborhood at 543 Broadway that spans the length of an entire city block. The store, which features immersive storytelling, will also host shopping events to create experiential theater for Crocs fans. More from WWD Crocs' CEO Eyes 'Bold Decisions' for Sustainable Growth and Cash Flow Crocs Beats Q2 Expectations, but Remains Cautious on Q3 Here Are All of the Exclusive Shoes Available at the House of Dior New York Flagship The new format is in line with the brand's larger retail strategy, and the concept is Crocs' top-tier innovation destination. In the middle tier are the traditional mainline brand-driven stores, followed by the value-focused outlet doors. At the heart of the focus for the Icon location is the prioritization on personalization and customization. The floor space showcases the entire core Crocs line and its shoe options. There are also two counters where fans can choose their Crocs' Jibbitz™ charms for a bit of self-expression on their purchases, whether on the core Crocs footwear or the brand's tote bags, backpacks and pouches, as well as new personalization product. According to brand president Anne Mehlman, the Broadway site is a 'test-and-learn' door, meaning that learnings will guide future Icon locations, in addition to how best to use the locations to create experiential moments with customers. The ideal Icon stores are in high-traffic spots that have the advantage of local footfall as well as tourist destination points. 'What we're really trying to do is create a store that [gives] more of an immersive consumer experience that centers on personalization — and in an iconic city,' Mehlman said. 'Jibbitz™ charms are the way that we can really personally connect with our consumer.' So why now? 'As the world is becoming more and more digital, and we're interacting more and more digital, [and] we're a digital first company, we think our consumers are also craving some in-person connection,' the Crocs' president said. 'And we also know that in order to really experience our personalization, the best place to do that is in physical retail.' According to Mehlman, the new concept allows consumers to 'physically touch and feel the product, and then have the experience of coming in the store and picking out the Jibbitz [charms] that are unique to them and putting them on their shoes.' The store includes elements of the Soho neighborhood, such as a bodega experience to showcase Crocs' Jibbitz charms. The charms also will include selections unique to New York and SoHo, and won't be available anywhere else. Elevating the Jibbitz options are 14K gold charms and a Swarovski Jibbitz, which can run as high as $300, she said. She described the store idea as 'fashion meets function meets utility and streetwear, with a little bit of a higher-end line that's going to go in the back of our store, which has a separate entrance.' That entrance is at 115 Mercer St., and the higher-end products are part of Crocs' EXP line. EXP represents Crocs' most daring and unconventional silhouettes that feature modern technical capabilities and reimagined archival looks. Melman isn't ruling out the possibility of an online customer personalizing a shoe order prior to shipment but that would be further down the road. One idea for the omni-channel brand is bringing in live-streaming capabilities into the store to bring the digital consumer closer to the physical experience. 'We're already doing that in some of our international locations, so I definitely think there are future ways to mesh the digital and physical experiences,' she said. Looking ahead, Mehlman said the size of each Icon store will be unique to the local city and country, and some may be very small focusing on personalization. She said the SoHo site was 'opportunistic,' and its square footage is slightly larger than the brand's 30 full-line mainline stores. With one U.S. test site under its belt, the next test store will likely be overseas, Mehlman said. Special events at the store will also take center stage when new collaborations are announced. 'The Icon store gives us a great meeting [site because] the fixtures are modular. Right now we have a Barbie showcase,' the president said. 'We have some exciting upcoming events that we're going to be hosting in Soho,' she noted. In contrast, the smaller overseas Icon stores will be built around personalization and, due to its smaller footprint, will feature a more curated Jibbitz™ collection for purchase that's in line with the special attributes of each local city. Separately, Mehlman said the company is remodeling its 34th Street store, and while it won't be a total Icon concept, it will feature a more enhanced shopping experience when the door reopens in the fourth quarter. There are no plans to retrofit other locations, as most are either full-price mall stores or outlet sites. Launch Gallery: Crocs' SoHo Store Raises Store Experience for Consumers [PHOTOS] Best of WWD All the Retailers That Nike Left and Then Went Back Mikey Madison's Elegant Red Carpet Shoe Style [PHOTOS] Julia Fox's Sleekest and Boldest Shoe Looks Over the Years [Photos] Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Famous singer and actress tells how she was sexually assaulted in Thai massage parlour in Soho as her attacker is jailed for four years
A 'vulnerable' young singer and actress has been left suffering panic attacks after her masseur sexually assaulted her at a Thai massage parlour in London 's West End. Masseur Sundaralingam Koodalingam, 36, who came to the country from the Maldives in 2021, assaulted the woman while working at the Rupert Jade Thai Massage in Soho. As she lay naked on the table, Koodalingam intimately touched the famous singer and actress, who cannot be named for legal reasons, without her consent. He has been jailed for four years with Southwark Crown Court hearing of the 'significant psychological harm' and 'ongoing impact' on the woman's day-to-day life. In a victim impact statement that was read to the court, the woman said the assault has 'fundamentally changed' her and she has been left 'untrusting'. The young actress added that it has caused her 'creativity' to be 'stifled by fear and insecurity.' In her victim statement, she said: 'Immediately after the incident took place, I couldn't go to work. I have had to have regular therapy sessions since the incident. 'I struggled to know who I was as I always saw myself as someone who would stand up and fight.' She explained that she found it difficult to talk to people about her ordeal. 'I found it difficult to talk to friends about what had happened. I don't want to use the words necessary to explain what he did to me. 'Imagine the sentence "At least he didn't rape you' being the silver lining..." 'Ultimately, I am fundamentally changed by the incident. The actions of the defendant left me sad and untrusting of people. 'I don't know if I will ever get back to who I was before that day. 'He has taken away my trust, and my innocence, and my ability to give anyone, especially a stranger who happens to be a man, the benefit of the doubt.' She added: 'I now know I did absolutely nothing wrong that day.' Fiona Robertson, prosecuting, said: 'It is clear there was an abuse of trust between a professional masseuse and a client. 'There was significant psychological harm. She talks about the ongoing impact on her day-to-day life. She talks about the impact across different aspects of her life.' Referring to the victim impact statement, Ben Hargreaves, defending, said: 'Nothing I can possibly say can devalue that victim interest statement at all. He continued: 'He came to this country under the sponsorship of a legitimate business in the Cotswolds. 'The prison estate is in dire straits. Any prison sentence that he faces will be long, hard and cruel in desolate and decrepit buildings and circumstances. 'He has been in the country since 2021. Any term that he spends incarcerated will be exceptionally hard for him, especially given the offence that he is convicted of.' Koodalingam, of Manor Park, east London, who appeared at Southwark Crown Court wearing a grey jumper and dark blue jeans, denied but was convicted of assault by penetration and sexual assault. He is originally from the Maldives but was educated in India. Jailing the masseur for four years, the judge, Mr Recorder Jeremy Brier, KC, told Koodalingam: 'On March 29, 2023, a young female actress and singer went to the Rupert Jade massage parlour in Soho. 'During the course of the massage, you assaulted her. 'This was a terrible ordeal for her. She describes it as a violation. 'She describes having panic attacks, and says that she cannot relax in public spaces since the incident has taken place. 'She was naked, vulnerable, and entirely trusting in your professionalism and integrity. 'This offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified...' The judge said the lowest possible sentence he could pass was four years for assault by penetration with two years concurrent for the sexual assault.
GMA Network
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Jessica Soho to youth: Use your voice to tell the stories that matter
Veteran journalist Jessica Soho called on young Filipinos to use their voices, digital platforms, and storytelling skills to challenge injustice and create lasting change—delivering an impassioned keynote at the 2025 Global Youth Summit held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Speaking before a crowd of over 14,000 on Sunday, Soho drew from her four-decade career in journalism to urge youth to go beyond trends and entertainment, and instead focus their energy on issues that matter. 'Focus your cameras and your energy too on things that need to change,' she said, recalling how a viral video of students crossing the dangerous Tamugan River in Davao eventually led to the construction of a hanging bridge, after her team aired the story on Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS). Soho also praised the generation's courage in challenging long-standing narratives, particularly the overuse of the word 'resilience.' 'Dahil ba nakakangiti pa rin tayo sa gitna ng kalamidad ay basta na lang natin tanggapin ang kahinaan ng sistema?' (Just because we smile through disaster, should we accept a broken system?) She reminded participants that inequality remains stark: the richest 1% of Filipinos capture 17% of the country's income, while the bottom 50% receive only 14%. Globally, wealth is even more concentrated, with 1.6% of the world holding nearly half of its wealth. Soho also reflected on her own beginnings—raised in La Union by a government employee father, a market vendor paternal grandmother, and a retired public school teacher maternal grandmother. Her mother, an agriculturist, passed away due to cancer when Jessica was eight. She said these early experiences shaped her perspective and commitment to telling stories of the marginalized. 'Bata pa lang, mulat na ako sa mga realidad at buhay ng mga tindera at mga magsasaka,' she said. (Since I was young, I've been exposed to the lives of vendors and farmers.) Use 'bubog' She then encouraged the youth to transform personal struggles into strength, citing National Artist Ricky Lee's advice to use 'bubog' (shards or wounds) as building blocks rather than burdens. 'Pagtagumpayan niyo sana sa buhay ang inyong mga bubog!' (May you overcome the wounds you carry in life.) As digital natives, Soho said, the youth have a unique advantage, but also a responsibility. 'Be responsible citizens and netizens. Criticize if you must—but elevate the level of discourse. No gutter language; no name-calling; no body shaming.' The veteran journalist also warned about misinformation and deepfakes, especially those falsely using her likeness for scams. 'Konting pakiusap lang po: Huwag kayong maniwala sa deepfakes ko na naglalako ng kung anu-anong produkto.' (Here's an appeal: Please don't believe deepfakes of me endorsing random products.) Despite her concerns for the future, Soho expressed faith in the younger generation's potential. 'Nakikitaan ko ang inyong henerasyon ng pag-asa. Baka kayo ang matagal nang hinihintay na pagbabago.' (I see hope in your generation. You might be the long-awaited change.) —KG, GMA Integrated News
Daily Mail
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
My hen do hell: how one extravagant party killed a close friendship – and left me £450 out of pocket
It's hard to make new friends in your 20s. But I've been lucky to have found a solid group of girls. We met about five years ago, at a birthday party for our mutual friend Hannah*, and instantly clicked. We got a group chat going on WhatsApp and, just like that, we were messaging back and forth (every day), catching up over pizzas and red wine at Rudy's in Soho (every month), and booking trips to the Cotswolds (every year; we take a group picture in the same spot each summer). When, at my Christmas party two years ago, Gemma announced she had got engaged, I couldn't have been more excited for her and popped open a bottle of Moët & Chandon I'd been saving for a special occasion (Gemma loves champagne). A few months later, when the save-the-date landed in my mailbox, I was quick to respond 'yes'. (A three-day, black-tie affair in Tuscany? Count me in.) When, nearly a year before the wedding, her sister invited me to Gemma's hen do in Paris, I didn't hesitate to confirm. And when, shortly afterwards, a payment of £150 needed to be made for the Airbnb, I didn't think twice about transferring the money.
Bloomberg
02-08-2025
- Bloomberg
Omnia Serves Authentic Lebanese Flavors in Hong Kong's Soho
Despite Hong Kong's plethora of international cuisines, the flavors of the Middle East are sorely underrepresented. As someone who grew up in the Persian Gulf, I struggle to find places in town that serve kibbeh, manakeesh, shawarma and other regional staples. So I was especially eager to pay Omnia a visit when I heard a new Lebanese restaurant had recently opened its doors in Soho. Omnia, which means 'wish' in Arabic, is run by chef and culinary entrepreneur Nadim Hamze, formerly of Sumac. Hamze promises to celebrate Lebanese culinary heritage and deliver 'soulfully satisfying' food with his latest dining venture, which opened in May.
