Grace Ling Is Betting on the Luxury In-person Experience, Unveiling Flagship Space Near Hudson Yards
Coinciding with the start of New York Fashion Week and the Lunar New Year, New York-based Singaporean eponymous brand designer Grace Ling opened up her first flagship near Hudson Yards on Wednesday evening — the store will be open to the public on Friday.
Industry darlings including Zac Posen, Andrew Kwon, Bach Mai and Alex Cosani all showed up in support of the event — guests were served Marky’s caviar, bespoke Lunar New Year Hennessy cocktails and event-exclusive black sesame Lady M cake.
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Citing New York as the perfect balance between “commercial viability and artistic vision” for the brand’s decision to open its first retail location, Ling said the U.S. has become its larger growing market and consumer base.
While Grace Ling’s ready-to-wear line is currently available at major luxury retailers of Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom and Frwd, the brand’s foray into creating a stand-alone retail store shows a commitment to giving her customers a complete in-person experience.
“In the store, we’re going to be exhibiting artistic craft-based pieces, almost like exhibition style,” Ling told WWD. “People can come in and see the custom pieces up close for the first time because we don’t really show it to the public. With our garments, there’s a lot of engineering and details that go into the garments that you really don’t experience the full extent of it until you’re there in person.”
Beyond selling clothes, Ling is building a lifestyle around the brand’s unique aesthetic with the store displaying custom furniture with surrealist elements — “everything from the clothing rack to the furniture and cashier is very in-line with the brand and the clothing.”
She partnered with Mind Games Fragrance to select the store’s signature scent, Eden Design on the lighting and Room–File for the space’s seating installation; Ling’s studio is directly next to the retail space with ease of access to the customers who come in person.
Dichotomously describing the store and brand as “ancient yet futuristic,” “natural yet dystopian” and “serene yet eclectic,” Ling’s brand serves as a mirror to the multidimensional characteristics of Ling as a person and what she expresses with her clothing.
“When women wear my garments — because people are so multifaceted, and they’re not just one thing — I want people to be able to understand that and feel that through the clothing.”
And at a time when many brands are shuttering stores across the globe, staying true to the Grace Ling brand DNA and consistently delivering unique and high-quality products is how she’s thrived despite the current volatile climate of the luxury retail market.
“The luxury market is not on the decline because people don’t have the bandwidth to spend,” Ling said. “People are starting to realize they don’t want to spend on something low-quality in the mass market or luxury. By putting something out that is high-quality, unique, wearable, timeless and good product is already differentiating for the customers who don’t want to spend.”
Ling’s success over the past five years has been nothing short of meteoric — her avant-garde 3D and CGI structural pieces for her eye-catching couture and sensual ready-to-wear looks have caught the attention the public and celebrities alike, including Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, Ashley Graham, FKA Twigs, Ciara, Anya Taylor Joy, Kim Kardashian, Camila Cabello and, most recently, JT at the 2025 Grammys.
Inundated by requests by stylists for custom pieces for celebrities, the brand maintains its exclusivity by being selective about who they work with — given the time and manpower it takes to make a singular “craft-based, detail oriented” piece. Ling said there could be anywhere from 30 people working on a dress for six months for a major event.
And who best to market the Grace Ling brand than Grace Ling, herself? The designer is often seen wearing her own innovative pieces and ready-to-wear looks to events such as the “Wicked” movie premiere, the CFDA Awards, a Grace Ling couture chest place paired with Indian designers Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna pre-draped saree to Anant and Radhika Ambani’s wedding and more.
The designer’s résumé speaks for itself. Ling studied at both Parsons and Central Saint Martins and worked at the likes of Thom Browne and The Row. 2024 was a year of industry accolades for the designer — Ling was the winner of the inaugural 2024 CFDA x Genesis House AAPI design and innovation grant, finalist for the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund and winner of the CVFF x Gap Inc. award. And already, Ling has been named a finalist for the 2025 Fashion Trust U.S.
With a background in sculptural works and performance art, Ling merged together all her passions to create a 360 world-building brand. She cites inspiration from biomorphism, science-fiction, dystopian films and surrealist artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dalí and René Magritte.
But moreover, Ling said that a major driving force behind the brand is creating garments to empower women and give them confidence. Ling’s most recent spring 2025 runway show featured a diverse cast including Consani, Precious Lee, Graham, Meredith Duxbury and WNBA player Elizabeth Cambage to model her looks.
For her upcoming fall 2025 collection, Ling teased at the store opening that her bestsellers will be shown in new colors and materials that are “very wearable,” “very practical” and “very everyday.”
While Ling focuses on creating otherworldly creations, creating a balance between artistic craft and wearable clothes for customers to experience her full collection, accessories and viral runway pieces in person at her new retail space is paramount.
“My decision to open a store was based on how my business was doing. People DM me all the time and ask to come to the studio to try on the clothes. Every time people come in and try it, they end up buying it. There’s been a demand for in-person buying and shopping, which is why I decided to open a store — despite whatever is going on with the economy,” Ling concluded.
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