• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, September 3, 2024

Barneys New York may be a thing of the past, but Hourglass Cosmetics wants to bring it back -- if only for a few days. Hourglass got its start at Barneys 20 years ago, and it’s getting the band back together as a way to celebrate.

The Hourglass X Barneys Limited Time Concept Store, located on Prince Street, taps the energy of September Fashion Week in New York.

In addition to items from Thom Browne, Marc Jacobs, Khaite, Proenza Schouler, AREA and more than 40 other brands, it will also bring in industry leaders, designers, and creatives to mingle with customers. Hourglass makeup artists are also offering the brand’s signature beauty services.

“Barneys was the champion for young designers and the very first beauty counter for Hourglass,” says Brooke Blashill, chief marketing officer at Hourglass, in an email to Marketing Daily. “We want to remember the spirit of Barneys by providing a discovery platform for emerging talent in fashion and beauty, like Barneys did for so many years.”

For a subset of New Yorkers, Barneys represented the pinnacle of fashion discovery, and many mourned when the iconic store shut its doors in 2019. (Technically, the brand still “exists.” Authentic Brands acquired the intellectual property and licenses it to Saks Fifth Avenue. AB is reportedly in talks to expand into Neiman Marcus, if that merger is finalized. There are also freestanding Barneys New York stores in Japan.)

A campaign video stars the magnificent Alex Wek, who struts around New York trumpeting the store’s comeback. Not enough nostalgia? She even makes a call from a pay phone.

The pop-up even brings back back Freds, reinvented as an on-the-go coffee bar.

Blashill says the idea is to bring a little of that Barneys magic back to shoppers who remember it, as well as “Barneys virgins” who never got the chance. An out-of-home campaign is running in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and Hourglass is promoting a digital content series.

“The campaign video is a love letter to Barneys with the vibrancy of New York City serving as the backdrop,” she says. “From uptown to downtown, it features unique personalities sharing their love for the iconic institution, evoking memories and stories.”

Among them are former Barneys New York powerhouses Simon Doonan, who pioneered the brand’s “Taste. Luxury. Humor.” tagline, and Julie Gilhart, once the store’s fashion director. The two curated and designed the pop-up experience.

Hourglass is also partnering with the Council of Fashion Designers of America to integrate rising talents into the pop-up, supporting that organization’s scholarship program.