Alo Yoga Opening First Restaurant in New York
WWD: Alo Yoga Opening First Restaurant in New York
Sutra was created in collaboration with celebrity chef Matthew Kenney, a pioneer in plant-based cuisine who operates 40 restaurants on five continents.
By Booth Moore on October 21, 2020
Los Angeles brand Alo Yoga is upping the ante on the yoga lifestyle business by opening its first restaurant in New York City on Thursday.
Located on the roof of the new four-story, 13,000-square-foot Alo Sanctuary store in Flatiron, Sutra was created in collaboration with celebrity chef Matthew Kenney, a pioneer in plant-based cuisine who operates 40 restaurants on five continents. Dishes include three beet poke with crispy rice, pineapple adobo tacos and golden milk coconut cream pie with spiced cashew.
“We believe in living a clean, organic and healthy lifestyle,” said Marco DeGeorge, co-founder and co chief-executive officer of Alo Yoga. “It made sense to partner with Matthew Kenney to open Sutra because his values align with ours.”
The Flatiron store at 164 Fifth Avenue is the third Alo Yoga in the New York area, and the eighth store total. The brand was founded in L.A. by DeGeorge and Danny Harris in 2007 and has racked up sales in the neighborhood of $200 million.
While fashion retail has taken a hit, activewear, whether worn for fitness or work-from-home comfort, seems to be pandemic proof, with a number of new players entering the market in recent months, including Madewell, H&M’s Cos and Aerie, competing with category giants Adidas, Nike and Lululemon, and up-and-comers Fabletics, Outdoor Voices and Alo Yoga.
Alo has stood out with its L.A. vibe and fashionable “studio to street” moto leggings, cropped sherpa jackets and slit bras that have been worn by Gigi Hadid, Taylor Swift, Kaia Gerber, Chrissy Tiegen, Lady Gaga and more. The brand also sells men’s yogawear. “We are the future, our demographic is edgier, younger and a lot of them are digitally inclined,” Harris told WWD in a recent interview.
During the pandemic the brand has been expanding its online platform Alo Moves, offering more fitness, meditation and pilates classes virtually. In July it opened a store in San Diego, and in September, it launched fine jewelry with a capsule collection by L.A. designer Logan Hollowell inspired by mindfulness.
While the brand will pursue more brick-and-mortar openings, it will do so cautiously. “We’ll continue to open some stores with studios and some without. We don’t believe this is forever,” Harris said of the pandemic effect on retail. An Upper East Side location is planned for December.
In Flatiron, the store will have a working yoga studio as soon as the city allows it to open. Meanwhile, Sutra will be open for lunch Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Breakfast, dinner and organic bar service will begin at a later date.
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