The Madison Ave. display in Midtown is assembled Tuesday. Jay Z has
said all the proceeds from his line will go to charity and that he will
sit on a council to tackle racial profiling.
Welcome to the Jay Zzzzzzzzzz collection.
More gawkers than shoppers showed up for the controversial launch of Jay Z’s
highly touted, limited-edition, luxury holiday collection at Barneys —
where the buzz Wednesday was more about the rapper’s sky-high prices
than his cutting-edge design.
A couple who drove up from Philadelphia for the debut left the Madison Ave. store empty-handed and underwhelmed.
“I was a little disappointed,” said Salie Schimmer, 52, a personal trainer. “We walked in and we were like ‘Wow, this is it?’ ”
Photos by Marcus Santos/New York Daily News
Schimmer, who described herself as the “oldest hip-hop fan in
Philadelphia,” is a huge Jay Z aficionado, part of the reason she made
the two-hour drive from the City of Brotherly Love.
But after seeing the lackluster response from shoppers and the prices —
ranging from $70 for the cheapest T-shirt to $58,000 for an
alligator-skin coat — Schimmer wasn’t optimistic about Jay Z’s sales.
“I thought it would be more exciting,” she said.
Marcus Santos/New York Daily News
'I thought it would be more excitiing,' said one Jay Z fan who traveled from Philadelphia to see the collection. Here, the part of the display at Barneys.
Schimmer, who is white, said she wasn’t affected by recent allegations
from two black New Yorkers that they were racially profiled at the
store.
Trayon Christian, 19 and Kayla Phillips, 21, have both filed notices of claim declaring their intent to sue.
Christian claimed he was stopped outside Barneys April 19 after buying a
$349 Ferragamo belt. He said undercover NYPD detectives wrongly accused
him of debit card fraud.
Greetsia Tent/WireImage
Jay Z faced pressure from some fans and civil rights groups to drop his alliance with Barneys after the allegations of racial profiling were reported.
Phillips said she was stopped by undercover NYPD officers three blocks
from the store Feb. 28 after buying a $2,500 Céline handbag and accused
her of debit card fraud.
After the Daily News first reported their stories, Jay Z faced pressure
from fans and civil rights groups to drop his alliance with the upscale
store.
The ruckus seemed to have tamped down the launch of his clothing line, Schimmer said.
“I think some people are going to stay away, it will turn some people off,” she said.
Marcus Santos/New York Daily News
One shopper plunked down more than $2,000 for three items from the collection, including a $695 white-and-black ski mask (pictured).
NYU student Andrew Davey, 21, wasn’t one of them.
He was among the few actually seen buying items in the small, black gallery on the third floor that housed Jay Z’s collection.
He plunked down nearly $3,000 for his three items, including a
white-and-black itch-free ski mask that cost $695. He also got a T-shirt
for $70 and a leather varsity jacket for $2,000, he said.
Marcus Santos/New York Daily News
The prices at the collection ranged from $70 for the cheapest T-shirt to $58,000 for an alligator-skin coat. This $1,795 bag was one of the items available.
“I liked the style ... when you see it, you know it’s Jay Z,” he said.
Davey, a regular customer at the ultra-luxury store, said the “shop-and-frisk” scandal didn’t taint his view of Barneys.
“I saw it on the news but I felt like I doubt they would stop me,” said Davey, who is black.
PR NEWSWIRE
The logo for the rapper’s limited-edition luxury line. ‘BNY NYC SCC’ combines Shawn Corey Carter’s initials with Barneys New York’s and a nod to New York City.
He said he blames the NYPD and not Jay Z.
“I don’t know how much he can do about it,” Davey said. “Plus, he came
out and said he would meet with them,” he added, referring to the
performer’s latest public promise to head a council on racial profiling
and give 100% of the sale’s proceeds to his foundation, which helps
disadvantaged students pay for college.
But even for a good cause, the hefty prices put the goods beyond the reach of most New Yorkers.
“It’s expensive. The T-shirts are like $1,000,” said one young woman
who declined to give her name. She perused for 10 minutes but left
without buying anything.
Barneys CEO Mark Lee also showed up Wednesday morning to get a personal tour of the “New York Holiday” collection.
Lee, who didn’t show at a City Council hearing probing racial profiling
at stores later in the morning, milled around the darkened gallery.
He asked employees if there was a lot of interest in the collection before he left around 10 a.m.
A few hours later, security guards were overheard talking about the lack of foot traffic.
“It’s been trickle, trickle, trickle” all day, one of them said to the other.
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