Blackstock and Weber Founder Chris Echevarria Officially Opens NYC Store

Blackstock and Weber founder Chris Echevarria has officially opened the doors to his first store.

As first reported by FN in April, Echevarria has opened up shop at 242 Mulberry St. in the Nolita neighborhood of Manhattan featuring items from Blackstock and Weber and his ready-to-wear line Academy by Chris Echevarria.

As part of the new “General Store” concept, the shop also sells adjacent branded merchandise and special store exclusive products from ’47 brand, Max Pittion (John Mayer’s eyewear brand) and reworked Adidas Sambas and Birkenstocks courtesy of Goods + Services out of Los Angeles.

Designed by Hayley Bridget Interiors, the home-like space is adorned with commissioned artwork from Echevarria’s favorite artist and friend Michael C. Thorpe and custom walnut bookshelf speakers by Devon Ojas.

In a short post on LinkedIn on Wednesday, Echevarria announced the opening of his newest project. “242 Mulberry, my life’s work, opens tomorrow. I’m excited, scared shitless and tired… but optimistic,” he wrote. “This process was humbling… but staying steadfast to my ‘one foot in front of the other, day by day’ policy got me through (along with a lot of encouragement, kind words and favors from friends).”

This project is a labor of love, a milestone and a proud moment for Echevarria as he adds his own story and aesthetic to the fabric of New York City retail. The space is a continuation of his studied approach to the evolution and preservation of men’s retail.

The opening comes as Echevarria’s influence on the fashion world continues to grow. In 2023 alone, the menswear designer launched an exclusive loafer capsule with Kith, teamed up with Pharrell Williams’ Billionaire Boys Club, and debuted a clothing line, just to name a few of his noteworthy accomplishments.

But, one of Echevarria’s biggest moments came in September when Sperry announced that it had hired the designer to reinvent some of its signature styles. The move saw him tapped as creative director for the Made in USA line Sperry by Chris Echevarria, with his first collection making its grand debut at Paris Fashion Week Men’s in January.

For Echevarria, that moment was one of his “biggest wins” over the past year. “A big win was launching my first collection with Sperry at Paris Fashion Week,” Echevarria told FN in February. “S–t, even announcing this collection was a huge moment for me.”