For some, opening their own store is often an abstract, unfulfilled dream. For Steven Victor, opening his was an actionable idea, albeit a bit impulsive. About a year ago, he was strolling down the block in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. Then his light bulb went off.
“I was walking by the Apple store and I was like, ‘This shit is lit, man. I need a store,’” says Victor. “I don’t even know if this is the right time to be opening a store, but sometimes you have to start the process to get things going.”
Thus, the Victor Victor World flagship in New York City was born. Located at 378 Broome Street, the space introduces fans to the growing apparel arm of Victor’s agency, which includes everything from T-shirts to New Era fitteds sporting dog motifs designed by Nigo.
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After passing through the front corridor, visitors are greeted by a 180-foot hallway connected to the main shopping area. It features clean white walls, concrete floors, and no-fuss silver racks. Victor describes the space as an amalgamation of some of his favorite storefronts over the years–Bape, BBC, and Apple–but with a more minimalist, home-y twist.
One of Victor’s ultimate goals for the newly-opened shop is fostering community. “Human interaction is probably the most important thing in life,” he says. “Phones have fucked shit up for everything. People feel like they can communicate without communicating. Brick-and-mortar is super important if you’re trying to have a real relationship or communication between you and your fans.”
Victor is starting his process with a bang. This past weekend, he outfitted the space to celebrate Nigo’s upcoming album I Know Nigo Too! as well as Nigo’s debut Nike collaboration. The Victor Victor store was the exclusive retailer of the Nigo x Nike project outside of Japan, and the only stockist outside of Asia carrying pairs with the flipped “OGIN” logo. ASAP Rocky, Daniel Arsham, Tyshawn Jones, Kaws, and the man himself were among the notable names in attendance at the VIP launch party.
“[Nigo] is the best non-musician that bridged the world between music and fashion,” says Victor. “He’s probably the most important part of [the shop]. He created both logos for the brand. With all the things that we’re doing, I always heat check it with him. I use him as a guideline to keep things the way they should be.”
It should come as no surprise that Nigo was the one who connected Victor with Nike. The two are slated to release some to-be-named sneakers together in 2025. Unfortunately, the Air Force 1s with the Victor Victor dog stamped on the lateral heel won’t be for sale. Only 25 pairs were made, limited to close friends and family, Lil Uzi Vert and Jay-Z among them. Victor made sure to get the latter rapper’s blessing, because the Roc-A-Fella Air Force 1 was a big inspiration.
“We were in one of the archive spaces at Nike and we saw Roc-A-Fella Air Force 1s,” says Victor. “I wasn’t trying to steal [Jay-Z’s] shit. I wanted to get permission, so I sent a picture of [my AF1s to him] and he was like, ‘Yo, this is fire.’”
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Last week’s Nigo pop-up is just the first chapter of many special activations with Victor’s star-studded network of friends that will take place at the store ahead of its official grand opening in 2025. In particular, he hints at something coming with Clipse to celebrate the duo’s return album Let God Sort Em Out.
In between limited-time events, the space will be a classic brick-and-mortar store selling the latest wares from Victor Victor alongside gear from Victor’s comrades like Nigo’s Human Made and Tyshawn Jones’ Hardies. Expect exclusive in-store drops and collaborations with some of those brands in the future. The venue will also house a private recording studio. To keep things as premium as possible and give every customer a VIP experience, the store will be appointment only.
“I want some sort of relationship between the people that buy and wear the clothes,” says Victor. “Making it appointment only makes it a little more intimate.”
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Victor hopes that the space represents more than just a storefront. He wants it to be an inspiration. His good buddy Pharrell said it best back in 2006, “You can do it, too.”
Says Victor, “I’ve always been someone that’s tried to inspire the youth because of how much I’ve been inspired by people like Nigo or Pharrell. For me, it’s like proof of concept. You don’t have to be this larger-than-life figure, a rapper, or a musician to be able to make your dreams come true. I’m a regular man from Brooklyn. If I can put this shit together, anybody can.”
